"FASTER, PEDAL FASTER!"
"I'm *trying*! You're the one steering us into every single bump!"
Nana's bicycle—bright pink with streamers on the handlebars and a basket shaped like a frog—wobbled dangerously as she navigated the neighborhood streets. Jihoon clung to her waist from behind, his legs dangling uselessly since there was only one seat and Nana had claimed it.
"We ate lunch, right?" Jihoon asked suddenly, a note of panic in his voice.
"Yup! I had three sandwiches!"
"Oh good. Because if we forgot again, my mom's gonna—"
"Bring the Stick of Doom?"
"The Stick of *Consequences*," Jihoon corrected grimly. "It has a name. We must respect it."
Nana giggled and rang her bicycle bell three times for absolutely no reason. They were on their way to pick up Zayne from his piano lesson, which was their routine now. Zayne had tried to tell them they didn't need to pick him up—his driver could take him home—but Nana had looked so sad that he'd immediately caved.
He always caved when Nana looked sad.
They were rounding the corner when Nana suddenly *slammed* on the brakes.
Jihoon nearly flew off the back. "WHAT—"
"Shhh!" Nana hopped off the bike, letting it clatter to the ground. (Jihoon yelped as he barely managed to jump clear.) "Look!"
Two little girls, roughly their age, were standing by the side of the road. Both were sniffling, their faces red and tear-streaked. Their bicycle—a tandem one, pale blue with flowers painted on it—was completely stuck in a thorny bush.
Nana's superhero instincts activated immediately.
"DON'T WORRY!" she announced, marching over with her hands on her hips like a tiny general. "We'll save you!"
The two girls looked up, startled. One had short hair that stuck up in about seventeen directions, and the other wore pigtails tied with ribbon.
"R-really?" the short-haired one sniffled.
"Really really!" Nana beamed. "I'm Nana, and this is Jihoon! He's strong!"
"I am?" Jihoon whispered.
"You are!" Nana hissed back. "Be confident!"
Fifteen minutes, several scratches, and one near-disaster later (Jihoon almost pulled the entire bush down on top of them), the bicycle was free.
"Thank you so much!" The short-haired girl wiped her eyes. "I'm Mina!"
"And I'm Jisu," the pigtailed one added with a small smile. She seemed calmer than her friend, less frazzled.
"Do you guys live around here?" Nana asked, already plotting.
"Yeah! Just two streets over!"
Nana's eyes *sparkled*. "Perfect! You're our friends now! Come on, we're picking up Zayne!"
"Who's Zayne?"
"My best friend! Well, Jihoon's my best friend too. You're all my best friends now!" Nana grabbed Mina's hand without waiting for a response. "Come *on!*"
And just like that, there were four of them.
By the time they arrived at Zayne's mansion—and it was a mansion, with iron gates and perfectly trimmed hedges and a fountain that actually worked—Mina and Jisu's eyes were the size of dinner plates.
"He lives here?!" Mina whispered, awestruck.
"Yeah! Zayne's parents are super rich!" Nana said cheerfully, like this was totally normal. "But they're never home, so it's actually kinda sad."
"Oh," Mina said, quieter now.
Jihoon, who had been here a hundred times, was already ringing the bell on the gate. "ZAYNE! WE'RE HERE!"
A few moments later, a small figure appeared on the other side of the gate.
Zayne, age Ten and already looking mildly exhausted by life, walked toward them with his usual quiet grace. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark slacks—clearly just back from his piano lesson—and his hair was perfectly neat.
He raised one hand in a small wave.
And then froze.
Because Nana was *climbing the gate.*
"ZAYNE! HI!" she shouted from halfway up the iron bars, waving enthusiastically.
"NANA, NO—" Jihoon grabbed her ankle, trying to pull her down. "You're gonna fall!"
"I'm fine! I just wanna see better!"
"See what?! He's right there!"
Mina and Jisu dissolved into giggles.
Zayne's maid, Mrs. Chen, who had been trimming roses nearby, let out a strangled sound and nearly dropped her shears. "MISS NANA, PLEASE—"
"I'm okay!" Nana called down cheerfully, finally hopping back to the ground. She landed in a crouch, completely unbothered.
Zayne pinched the bridge of his nose. He was ten He shouldn't already feel like a tired parent.
Mrs. Chen hurried to open the gate, muttering prayers under her breath. The moment it swung open, Nana launched herself at Zayne.
"We made new friends! This is Mina and Jisu!"
Zayne blinked at the two new girls. Mina had leaves stuck in her short hair (from the bush incident). Jisu gave him a polite little wave.
"...Hi," Zayne said softly.
"Wow, you're so quiet," Mina said bluntly.
"He's shy!" Nana announced proudly, like this was Zayne's greatest achievement. "But he's really nice! Come on, let's go inside!"
Zayne didn't get a say in the matter. He never did.
Zayne's house was even more impressive on the inside.
Marble floors. A grand staircase. Actual *chandeliers.* A living room bigger than Nana's entire house.
And—most importantly—an enormous aquarium built into the wall, filled with colorful fish that swam lazily through coral and plants.
Nana's jaw dropped. "ZAYNE. YOU HAVE *FISH?!*"
"...Yes?"
"SO MANY FISH!"
She pressed her face against the glass, her breath fogging it up. The fish scattered.
Jihoon, meanwhile, had found the kitchen.
More specifically, he'd found the *snack table* that Mrs. Chen had prepared, because she knew by now that Nana never came alone and everyone was always hungry.
"Oh my god," Jihoon whispered reverently, staring at the spread of cookies, fruit, sandwiches, and juice boxes. "It's... it's beautiful."
He proceeded to inhale approximately seven cookies in under a minute.
Mina was darting around the room like a hummingbird, touching everything. "Wow! What's this? Is this real gold? Can I try the piano? Why do you have so many books?"
Jisu, the calmest of the group, simply sat down on the couch next to Zayne.
"Your house is really nice," she said politely.
"...Thank you," Zayne murmured.
"Do you get lonely?"
Zayne blinked. No one had ever asked him that before.
"I—"
"ZAYNE!" Nana's voice rang out. "CAN WE TAKE THE FISH OUT?!"
Zayne's head *snapped* toward the aquarium.
Nana and Jihoon were standing on a chair they'd dragged over, their hands hovering dangerously close to the water.
"No," Zayne said, louder than he'd spoken all day.
"But I wanna hold one!"
"They'll die."
"Just for a second!"
"Nana, no."
Jihoon was already rolling up his sleeves. "I bet I can catch the orange one."
"Jihoon."
Zayne shot to his feet, his usual calm cracking. He crossed the room in three strides and physically inserted himself between them and the aquarium, his arms spread wide like a tiny, exasperated bodyguard.
"The fish stay *in the water,*" he said firmly.
Nana pouted. "You're no fun."
"I'm keeping them alive."
Jisu, still on the couch, hid a smile behind her hand.
Mrs. Chen, watching from the doorway, looked like she'd aged ten years.
After Zayne successfully defended the aquarium (and Jihoon ate his body weight in snacks), the five of them piled onto their bicycles and set off again.
"Where are we going now?" Mina asked, pedaling alongside them.
"My house!" Nana announced. "I found a bird nest in the apple tree and I have to show you guys!"
Zayne, trailing slightly behind on his own bicycle (silver, expensive, and way too clean), felt a familiar sense of dread.
Nana and trees were a dangerous combination.
When they arrived at Nana's house—a cozy, cheerful place with a garden that was more "wildflower chaos" than "landscaped"—Nana immediately made a beeline for the backyard.
"There!" She pointed up at the large apple tree in the corner. "See? The nest is on that branch!"
"Ohhh!" Mina craned her neck. "I see it!"
"Let's climb up!"
And just like that, all four of them—Nana, Jihoon, Mina, and Jisu—started climbing.
They moved like a pack of feral squirrels, grabbing branches and hauling themselves up with zero regard for safety. Jisu was surprisingly nimble. Mina got stuck twice but refused help. Jihoon made it exactly three branches before declaring he was "keeping watch."
Nana, of course, climbed the highest.
Zayne stayed on the ground.
Not because he couldn't climb. (Okay, partially because he couldn't climb. He'd tried once and gotten stuck for twenty minutes.)
But mostly because someone needed to make sure Nana didn't fall.
He stood directly beneath her branch, his eyes tracking her every movement.
"Zayne, look!" Nana called down, her face flushed with excitement. She was holding a half-eaten apple she'd plucked from a nearby branch. "I found one!"
"Be careful," Zayne called back, his voice tight.
"I'm always careful!"
She was not always careful. She was never careful.
Slowly, Nana climbed back down, apple in hand. When she reached the lowest branch, she hopped down—Zayne's hands were already there, steadying her by the waist even though she didn't need it.
"Here!" Nana thrust the apple at him, beaming. "For you!"
Zayne stared at the apple. It had a bite taken out of it.
"...You already ate some."
"Sharing is caring!" Nana said, like this explained everything.
Zayne sighed. But he took a small bite anyway, because arguing with Nana was impossible.
Above them, Jihoon dangled a caterpillar in front of Mina's face.
"JIHOON, NO—*AHHH!*" Mina shrieked and nearly fell out of the tree.
Jisu laughed so hard she had to grab a branch to stay upright.
Zayne shook his head, exasperated.
But then he noticed a leaf stuck in Nana's hair.
Without thinking, he reached out and carefully picked it free, his fingers brushing against her messy strands.
"You had a leaf," he mumbled.
"Oh! Thanks, Zayne!" Nana grinned up at him, completely oblivious.
Zayne's ears turned bright red.
He quickly looked away, pretending to be very interested in the apple tree.
Up above, Jisu caught the whole thing. She smiled to herself but said nothing.
Nobody else noticed.
Nobody noticed that Zayne stayed closer to Nana than anyone else.
Nobody noticed that his eyes followed her everywhere.
Nobody noticed the way he made sure she didn't get hurt, the way he caught her before she could fall, the way he saved the best snacks for her without being asked.
Nobody noticed.
Except maybe Zayne himself.
And he didn't understand it yet.
He just knew that when Nana smiled at him, the loneliness in his big, empty house didn't hurt as much.
.
.
.
.
.
❄️❄️❄️
To be continued.