“Look at you! Oh my God, relax Eunji shi. I was just joking to break the awkward silence on our way and here you look like a truck has hit you hard” Jongin was having way too much fun with Eunji’s reaction.

He was clutching his tummy and laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes.

Eunji, on the other hand, decided to throw away her politeness at this exact moment. How dare he try to mock her repeatedly and laugh so boisterously too.

 “Wow! So funny Jongin shi, as expected of you, a full grown adult. Now if you are over your own genius tricks, let’s start walking. Unlike few people, I prefer to sleep early” Anyone could hear the venom dripping in her voice.

Kai suddenly tensed and stood up from his crouching form, with a serious tone and sincerity laced in his voice, he spoke, “Eunji shi, I am sorry if I offended you in any way.”

Again, this was the last thing she had expected Jongin to say. The mighty Jongin apologizing to her sincerely. Before she could process this, he carried on with his eulogy.

“I think we started off in the wrong foot. I just want us to be friends and get along as we live in the same area and go to same University and all. I was trying to do the same but I guess my awkward self went ahead and ruined it somehow. You know, I am not a big people person”

Oh no, someone please make him shut up. Why is he talking to her so much? He usually is always so stand offish to the meager people and why the hell is her mind going crazy with internal struggles and battles of their own.

 Usually she is act before you think kind of person. Chorong asks her to watch often.

Yes, It is because Kim freaking Jongin wants to be friends with her suddenly and was apparently trying to act friendly with her the whole time. This just leaves her with one question no matter all the internal struggles ‘Why her?’

Eunji just voices out the same “Why me? And Why now?” startling Kai.

It took a minute for him to respond “Why not? I think I explained it pretty clearly just now and also you seem like a fun person to hang out” giving her his perfect smile

That sounds plausible, Eunji is definitely fun anytime. Fun is her second name.

So she clears out her voice signaling Jongin to walk along with her. They both walk in silence looking at the night scenery and the sky painted in black and white for a while.

Eunji stops walking  abruptly causing them to bump each other but she quickly balances herself “Sorry, My bad Jongin shi, I was thinking too much and then stopped walking suddenly”

Jongin just chuckled and answered “No issues Eunji shi but I could hear the wheels turning in your head from miles away and also most of the girls would have fell down from the bump. Nice balancing techniques there, gotta teach me some time”

Eunji couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the ridiculous balancing actions Jongin was pulling out now. They both stood there in the middle of the road laughing at something ridiculous and it didn’t feel weird. It was honestly nice and comfortable.

“Jongin shi” Eunji broke him out of his stupor.” I was actually thinking about what you spoke earlier and we cannot be friends; Not now! “

Kai was shocked to say the least; no one has ever out rightly rejected him as a friend or boy friend or whatever. He just let Eunji continue.

“What I mean to say is that it’s been months since I moved to this place and years since I started the Uni and all these times you were there too but there was merely any interaction from both of our sides.”

“But” She trailed off with her voice and said “If we start hanging out with each other all of a sudden, it will just create suspicions and feed the rumor mills. I don’t want to die young in the hands of your crazy fan girls.”

After talking relatively less today, all of a sudden, she was not able to stop blabbering.

“So, you don’t want to be friends with me as you are afraid that my fan girls would attack you?” his voice was gentle and laced with something similar to disappointment

Eunji felt the immediate need to respond “Not exactly, I am just telling you that maybe we should give it some time. Start out as acquaintances or something and then try and see if we could be friends over time”

Kai clicked his tongue and said “Sounds reasonable. I felt really comfortable around you for some reason today and hence thought being friends would be good but I don’t want you to feel burdened either; maybe I was just really missing my family and especially my sisters.

For me it’s always been either right or wrong while choosing my people, call it instinct, you just felt right. Let’s take it slow then.”

Being flattered wouldn’t exactly describe Eunji now, oddly all of this felt less like being friends and more like being proposed to. Get your mind out of gutter and fairy tales Eunji.

She focuses on her reply “Okay. Thanks for your understanding. Since we decided on this, can we drop our formalities? It feels strange as we are of same age.”

“Gladly, never thought you would ask “ replied Jongin and extended his hand for a hand shake.

When their hands met, Jongin let out a small smile and said “ Hi Eunji, I am Kim Jongin, 22 years, Dance Major at Seoul Uni. My friends call me Kai. It was nice meeting you today.”

Eunji gave her sincere smile for the first time in the night where her eyes turned in to cute little crescents; while shaking his hands and replying “Hi Jongin, I am Jung Eunji, 22 years, Voice major at Seoul Uni. My friends call me Ji. It was nice meeting you too.”

Jongin was pleased with her response but spoke “As much as I would love to keep talking, it is very late and cold outside. I would have lent you my jacket on the way but thought it would be too much of cliché to do it considering our situation.

Anyways, Good night and Sleep tight. I had fun tonight and I will see you soon.” Waving his hands and leaving in the opposite direction.

Eunji just then realized that they had reached their destination some time ago but was so lost in her thoughts and hadn’t seen it. She felt a blush creeping on her face but she was too stubborn to admit it.

It is just too cold outside dammit!

Today was a long and tiring day and she deserves all the nap time she can get even if she misses her early morning classes.

She entered her apartment and plopped herself on her favorite place ‘Her bed’. It was always warm and comfy. She can feel herself drifting off to a far away dream land. Her phone dinged. With a deep sigh, she opened her eyelids half way to check the message inbox from an unknown number and to say that she was freaked out was an understatement.

“Hope you reached your place safe. You look tired. Get some proper rest. Sweet dreams –Kai”

She just threw her phone on the bed and muffled her screams on her pillow. Because, no way she’ll let him hear her freaking out.

How in the world does Kim Jongin have her number and why does he even have it?

Good bye to her sleep and her precious hair strands which are being pulled out right now in frustration!