The seniors know that once the dance is over, they have only fortnight before the final test comes along. It was the big test as the seniors really have to do well. The tests decide their future and their college entrance.

            The seniors are busy hustling from library to classes to laboratories and to meeting teachers. They just have to comprehend and pretty much cover on any subject that they find difficult to nail at.

            Jiyeon is certainly less worried than other. But it’s not because of her confidence, as she always had plenty of those when it comes to test, but simply because she can’t wait to finish school and leave. Se has applied for New York University because she wants to study films; it’s been her passion since she discovers Titanic. All she has do now is study, study more and just study a lil bit more until the final comes. She’s excited to be in a place where she belongs, does things she loves and meets smarter people who actually get her points without having to give awhat--are-you-fussing-about- look. She really hates that.

            She is in the library when she cranes up her neck to find Jinyoung’s presence near her. She always detects people’s presence. But people never seem to succeed in detecting hers. She smiles as she offers the empty seat to Jinyoung. Wow, people hardly want meet her in the library. Not guys especially.

            “What are you reading?” His eyes go to her book.

            “Something about bugs and stuff like that.” She fixes her eyes on the book as well. Why on earth is she reading that?

            “Why are you reading about bugs?” He retorts back with a cynical look. “I don’t mean to mock you or anything, but seriously bugs? How do bugs turn you on?”

            “They don’t.” She says. “I thought I needed to kill my free time.”

            “I see,” he says. “But that is not how you kill free time.”

            She leans forward, her expression appraising. “Then how do you kill your free time?” The book is already closed.

            “Anything that doesn’t involve reading about bugs, in fact it doesn’t involve reading at all,” he says, running his gaze over her. “It pretty much involves some good company and a couple of beers in tennis court. It’s always been an estranged place, so my buds and I spend most of our time hanging out over there. L. Joe kinda came up with the idea first. It’s now our lair. So, you wanna come over? I hope that sounds like a brilliant idea to kill your free time.”

            So it was L. Joe huh, she thought. “I don’t drink,” she says softly, sounding almost like a whisper.

            “Really?” he whispers back. “It’d be cool to have you drinking with us. It’d be wild, but nothing exotic.”

            “You’re just that crazy,” she laughs, low enough to hide it from the librarians.

            Well, I am, about you, he almost says that but then he does nothing but laughs with her as well.

*  *  *

            L. Joe arrives home safely and parks his baby in an indoor garage. He dismounts the convertible and walks his way into his house. He is humming to Rihanna’s Shut Up and Drive song when, strangely, his dad welcomes his home, which he never does before. Okay, he senses something is up and it basically counts him in.

            “Hello son. Welcome home,” his dad friendly beams and hugs his only son. Surprised by the sudden love affection his dad’s showing, he hugs back.

            “Thanks dad.” He is utterly perplexed now. His dad better breaks the news fast.

            Then the reality strikes. His dad grabs him by the collar with a wild expression, his eyes narrow in distate. “Is this a ing bite mark, son?” He pointed the fading bite mark. The word ‘son’ doesn’t sound very loving by now.

            “Dad, look.” L. Joe frees himself. “I just broke up, okay. Do we have to do this now?” He then touches his neck to feel the print. “How does this get here?”

            “You’re driving me crazy, son. When will you stop behaving like a jerk and start to treat your girlfriend with a little less smooching and more respect?”

            “Dad,” L. Joe’s eyes squint in disbelief. “Smooching you girlfriend is how you treat her with respect. I don’t get what is going on here. You suddenly come home early and decide to welcome me, but then drastically change back to your old self and start giving me this aching non-stop lecture on how to treat my girlfriend nicely. Seriously, who is driving who crazy, dad?”

            “Son,” his dad wraps his fingers around L. Joe’s right shoulder. “I don’t mind you dating, really. I think it’s age-appropriate to start loving someone who is special to your heart. But I still remember how you promised me to really be nice and treat Hyeona the way she deserves. And look I found a damn bite mark on your Goddamn neck and somehow you already broke up with her? Really son? You really wanna experience this kind of love? And seriously, find the appropriate girl, will you?””                      

            “Hyeona is like way yesterday dad,” he sighs. “I dumped her even before the dance.”

            “Then who did you go to the dance with?”

            “Min. She’s a great girl. Honest. But it has to over.”

            “If you’re not trying hard enough, she’s not staying.” Hid dad fixes his gave on his son and finds that L. Joe looks like he truly is hurt by the break-off. “Who dumped who?”

            “I dumped her,” he says coolly, without any tone of regrets.

            “For a minute there I thought you were actually hurt by this break-off!” His dad is taken back by his son’s sudden change.

            “Yeah, but then we still have tomorrow. Ya’know what they say, tomorrow never dies,” L. Joe throws his arms open when he says that. It is almost he has no feelings at all. “I’ll find a new one soon enough. A more appropriate one maybe,” he shrugs.

            “How can you possibly take love lightly? When I was about your age, I cherished every moments I had with my girl. I always worked hard to make her smile, and every time she smiled, it truly made me the happiest man alive.”

            “Urgh. That sounds nice and gross,” he flares his nose. “Was she mom?”

            “No. That girl dumped me before I even knew your mom.” His dad looks bitter. “The point is if you don’t start showing how much you really care for her, and never take this thing seriously, like really want her to stay by your side, you’ll never find your true love. And even if you did find your true love, you might never have her. She’s just gonna be another girl in your love life. And mark my words, you’ll always feel empty no matter how many girls you have around you.”

            “Dad, I’m like 19,” he blurts out, looking baffled. “I don’t need to find my true love yet. I, like, have plenty of time to play around before I settle down, okay. So, please save this talk when I’m about to get married and end all my excitement in life coz that would be the very perfect time for me to really do as you want me to.”

            “L. Joe, when I want you to get married after your final, I swear to God I’ll make that happen. I’ll find the right girl that will change you if you still live like this.”

            L. Joe listens to the horrific news his dad breaks, not giving any care, acts like nothing happened and just walks away. Yeah right, like he’s really gonna do that.

            “Whatever. Later dad,” L. Joe says in a low tone before he climbs the stairs with his hands stuck in his pockets. Urgh. He feels down right now. It always happens when his dad says outrageous things to him.

            Disappointment is etched at every line of his face as he watches L. Joe goes upstairs. He is disappointed, really but not in his son, but more in himself. If only he spends more time getting to know his son better for the last 7 years instead of building his empire as the only automobile provider to have 10 grand outlets across the entire state. He gets too much caught up in his work that he seems to loosen the bond between him and his son. Now look, he’ll die in about 90 days and his son is completely clueless about the whole thing.

            L. Joe needs to find the right girl, one that it suitable to be a wife rather than a hot random girl to be with his side when he takes over his business later. Considering L. Joe is gonna be like 20 when he passes on, so he’ll have his partner, Kang Gary to take over for a moment until L. Joe reaches 24 and is ready to take life seriously, and he sure hope L. Joe does a better job at keeping his future wife with him till death do them apart, just like himself and his wife. He doesn’t want L. Joe to feel lonely and like he has no one else to turn to when he dies. The right girl should change L. Joe for the better, and would always be there when L. Joe needs her.

            Now where can he find this perfect girl?

*  *  * 

            It is indeed a lovely winter and right before Christmas comes along, the students will have to sit for the finals. This has been a bittersweet ride during the whole senior year and all seniors seem happy to finally be over with school.

            “So what are you guys up to after Christmas?” Hoya suddenly speaks into the silence when all of them are busy making out what the books it trying to say. It almost blows their heads off.

            “I don’t know,” L. Joe says as-matter-of-factly. He looks almost dumbfounded thinking he’ll be studying business laws in order to take over his dad’s place in nest ten years, maybe. “I guess I’ll be boring.”

            “What do you mean you don’t know,” Jinyoung says sharply. “I thought you were gonna study business or something. I mean, you’ll be replacing your dad remember?”

            “Yeah I remember that alright.” He then lets a heavy sigh. “I honestly hates it when he says that I’m gonna have to get married either. Gosh. I would never want to waste my youth over something so dreadful.”

            “What about you, Jinyoung?” Hoya asks again. “You should up to something new, I suppose.”

            “Yeah. Like go all around the world on tour my dad is something new. I really don’t want to go on a tour with some crappy old male band. Gosh. The horror.”

            “Okay, now you’re just being evil,” Hoya snaps back with a laugh.

            “That’s your dad you’re talking about,” adds L. Joe.

            “Whatever,” Jinyoung rolls his eyes. All his friends know how Jinyoung never gives his dad any chance once he divorces with his mom. They two were never on a good term, but things always work out since Jinyoung doesn’t want to disappoint his mom. And this time, he just had to agree to go on that stupid tour because his mom is getting remarried to some bald-headed freak that has a bad taste in music. That man his mom’s marrying is gonna be in Alaska with his family and his mom doesn’t want Jinyoung to come along since his mom and that man’s family have some straightening out to do. He has nowhere else to stay and despite being a soon-to-be-high-school-graduate, his mom just doesn’t trust him being fine on his own. Like it or not, Jinyoung has to go on the tour with his dad. He continues, “I don’t wanna talk about my weird dad. Can we please like focus on other stuff that is more important, like when will we understand what Biology is trying to tell us. Like literally.”

            “Dude, I just hate Biology,” L. Joe lays back against his chair with his hands over his head. “I will never understand. Never.”                                                   

            “Count me in,” Hoya agrees. He then high-fives L. Joe and them two lay back, acting all cool.

            “Finals are closing in. Why don’t you guys take this seriously?” Jinyoung looks at his two friends intensely.

            “Look,” L. Joe leans slightly forward. “I’ll come by to your house this evening and we’ll do our revision together okay. But for now, I really don’t want to study.”

            Jinyoung guesses he could live with that. “What about you, Hoya?”

            “Nah. I’ll study when I want to.”