After Jiyong dropped her home ("Is the view nice from the penthouse?" he had asked nonchalantly, assuming that Sohee and her family occupy the most expensive unit of the building, to which Sohee simply replied, "I wouldn't know. Never been there."), Sohee walked in the door to the smell of doenjang jjigae. It brought comfort that her home is still her home when the rest of her world seem to be turning upside down. "I'm home," she called out, taking off her shoes by the door. "Sohee-ya... you're home early," her mom asked from the kitchen. That's right. I usually take the subway and it takes an hour, she thought as she searched her brain for an excuse. She has no plans of telling her parents about her fake relationship with Jiyong. The less people that know, the better. Jiyong wanted her to hang out with him and his friends but Sohee insisted on going home right after school. It was only after she shoved him half a dozen of cookies that he finally relented and drove her home. "Yeah, I got a ride from a friend," she quietly answered before sitting down at the dining table. Seeing the green onion pancakes laid out nicely and still steaming, Sohee took a bite using her fingers. "Stop!" her mom swatted her hand away, "Did you wash your hands?" Sohee grinned and ran off to her room. 

During dinner, her dad was talking about his day at work when he mindlessly brushed a strand of hair out of her mom's face. Like what Jiyong did today, she thought. But she could feel the love between them even when they're across the table and it made her envy. I wish I was experiencing all this for the first time with someone I actually love and someone who loves me too, she thought back to how her first kiss was a move to distract someone and how her first experience with handholding while walking through school was done to make someone jealous. And how her first make out session was done with someone who didn't see it as something special - merely a way to keep up their charade.

"...Sohee!" her mom brought her back from her reverie. "Can you do the dishes alone tonight? Hye Rim has to sleep early tonight," her mom asked. Sohee and Hye Rim usually do the dishes if her mom and/or dad cooked, and vice versa. She nodded, needing the menial task to help keep her mind off of everything.

***

The next morning, Sohee was sitting at the steps waiting for Jiyong when Hye Rim walked out and sat next to her. "Why are you out already?" she asked her eight year old sister. "I have a field trip, remember? You said you'll drop me off at school," Hye Rim reminded her. Sohee felt panic rising from the back of as she recalled saying yes to something when she wasn't quite listening to the conversation. "What time do you have to be at school?" she asked Hye Rim. "7 AM," her sister answered casually. Oh crap, she thought, glancing at the clock that showed 6:40 AM. Even if she leaves now, she'll arrive at Hye Rim's school by 7:10 or 7:15, and by then, it'll be way too late to run back and ride with Jiyong. Taking the subway all the way to school will also make her ridiculously late.

Right then, Jiyong's Boxster pulled in and he rolled down the window with a frown on his face. Sohee quickly ran up to Jiyong and asked, "Can we drop off my sister at her school? She needs to be there by 7. We passed by it yesterday on our way to school." Jiyong sighed in annoyance. "Please? It won't make us late. I promise," she pleaded, not wanting to get in trouble with her parents and make her sister late either. "But my car is a two-seater," he complained. Sohee rolled her eyes, getting impatient because of the time pressure, "I know that. She'll just sit in my lap. I'll strap her in." She pleaded once more with her eyes. He looked at her sister who was eyeing them curiously before nodding, "Fine. Just hurry."

Sohee ran back to Hye Rim and dragged her to the car. "Come on," she gestured for Hye Rim to sit on her lap. Her sister hesitated before obeying. "Who are you?" Hye Rim immediately asked Jiyong when the car hit the road. "I'm Jiyong. I'm your sister's boyfriend," he answered, flashing a confident smile. Sohee slapped his arm in reflex. What are you doing? she mouthed at him when he glanced at her for the slap. Hye Rim turned her body as far as she could to look at Sohee with her eyes widened, "BOYFRIEND?" But before Sohee had a chance to answer, Hye Rim asked again, "Since when?"

"Since last week," Jiyong swooped in and answered, sensing that Sohee is lost for words. "Was I asking you?" Hye Rim snapped back and Sohee could see Jiyong stifling a laugh. Unbelievable, she thought. "He asked me out last week. Please don't tell mom and dad. Okay? I'll tell them myself," she quickly answered.

Hye Rim eyed her sister carefully before sitting back normally. "I wanna hear about all of this when I get home, unnie," she demanded, stealing glances at Jiyong. Sohee could tell that Hye Rim is intrigued by Jiyong. He has that effect on people where his charm lies mostly in the mysterious and mischevious expression that he has on his face. His face has such shar