[CONTENTID1] CHAPTER 5 [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

PREVIOUSLY: Ah Young and Bo Gum are best friends. Ah Young has two girl friends named Hyeri and Eunji. Seo In Guk is a new student, and he shows a lot of interest in Ah Young. Bo Gum and Hyeri seem to be getting very close. Ah Young's dad's boss is really pressuring him and his job as at risk.

Ah Young's dad had come back earlier than usual from work that night.

"Appa," she said in surprise as she took off her shoes. "What are you doing so early?"

He smiled widely at her from his seat at the dining room. "Work was slow today, so I was let off early. This coming week is going to be hectic, though. Oh, wash your hands! I'm making a surprise dinner for your mom."

Ah Young blinked. She strolled over to the dining table to see her dad making kimbap. "...Did something happen?"

Her dad shook his head casually, working on his second roll. "Nope, why?"

"You only do these kinds of stuff if you did something bad."

Ah Young knew her dad almost as well as she knew Bo Gum, and that was saying something. On a normal day, her dad would be watching TV or taking a nap if he came home early. He only cooked on Mother's and Valentine's Day.

He only shrugged, laying the ingredients for his third roll. "You mom's been working a lot lately, and I will be too this week. I just want to make her work at least a little bit less."

She stared at her dad's broad back. He had changed out of his suit and put on sweatpants and a gray T-shirt with a hole in it.

"Okay. Yeah, sure. I'll help."

They both worked in silence. Ah Young knew something was up, but she didn't bother to press on the matter. She sometimes kept secrets from her parents. They should be able to do the same.

Joon Young came home after hanging out with Bo Kyung and Bo Gum. Ah Young and her dad already finished the kimbap. She started to make some soup as the guys set up the table.

"Omo, omo. Did you guys make dinner?"

Ah Young smiled at her mom, still stirring the soup. "Appa wanted to make kimbap so you didn't have to cook."

"Really? Aigoo, my husband's finally becoming a man." She kissed her husband's cheek and his ears went pink.

"Oh, gross!" Joon Young covered his eyes.

"Gross? Why is kissing your wife gross?" Their dad wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and planted light kisses all over her face.

Ah Young and Joon Young made noises of disgust.

"Guys! That's disgusting!" Ah Young shuddered. "Joon Young, stir this soup until it's thick enough. Eomma and Appa made me loose my appetite." Ah Young left the stove for her brother and headed towards the door.

"Hey missy, where're you going this late at night?" her mom asked, wrapping one arm around her husband's waist,

"The store across the street. I need to buy something. For, uh, school," she replied, putting on a jacket. "I'll be back for dinner, promise."

"Take Bo Gum with you," her dad ordered. "I don't want you walking alone at night by yourself."

Ah Young hummed in response. "I'll be back before dinner."

She left the apartment but didn't bother to go to Bo Gum's apartment. She was a big girl. She could go to the store by herself.

As she pressed the button in the elevator, another person walked in.

"Yah, do you hate me that much?"

The metal doors closed as Ah Young looked up to see her best friend. She did a double take. "Where'd you come from?"

Bo Gum waved his Samsung 7 in front of her face. "Your dad texted me."

She rolled her eyes. Of course, her dad would do that. "Okay, but don't tell him what I'm buying."

"Why? Are you getting more giraffe ornaments?"

She laughed lightly, recalling her gift to In Guk. "No. Just don't tell him."

He nodded with a small grin. "Okay."

The elevator doors opened and they both headed to the nearby store.

"My friend asked if I wanted to go on a blind date," Bo Gum told her as they walked across the street.

Ah Young almost tripped. She looked at him with surprise and anticipation. "Really? Which friend? What did you say?"

"I said... that I didn't know." He scratched his neck awkwardly. "You think... I should go?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "You need to meet more girls. I'd definitely go if I were you. Hey, which friend is this? Ask him if he can plan a blind date for me too."

"Ah, sorry. Minju already has all the dates planned. He just asked me because there's only one other girl that he needed to pair someone up with."

"Oh, really? Darn. I need a boyfriend." She stepped into the store as Bo Gum held the door open for her.

"Really? Why?" he asked, scanning the items.

She sighed loudly. "It's lonely not having someone to go on dates with or hold someone's hand. I want to cuddle with my boyfriend and watch a movie. Or go to an amusement park. You ever feel that way?"

Bo Gum stared at her with a blank, almost naive, expression. "No."

Ah Young gave her friend a disappointed look as they headed towards the Men's Clothing section. "Isn't it about time you hit puberty? You should be chasing girls around!"

Bo Gum did have a few previous girlfriends, but they didn't last. All of them had broken up with him because he was "uninterested". (They also hadn't gotten along with Ah Young.) A lot of people knew Bo Gum was polite and friendly, but they didn't know that he had trouble showing his real emotions to people he didn't know well. That's why his ex-girlfriends said he was uninterested. They had to look for the little things that he does for them. Still, Bo Gum was one of the most popular students in their school.

"Oh, here we are," Ah Young said. She plucked a large, gray T-shirt wrapped in plastic from the shelf. "Okay, let's go."

"Who's that for?" Bo Gum asked, falling into step with her. "Seo In Guk?"

She looked at him with a strange expression. "No. Why would I buy this for In Guk? It's for my dad. His other one is too old." Glancing at the jewelry section, she nudged Bo Gum with her elbow. "Hey, let's buy something for your date."

It was Bo Gum's turn to look at Ah Young weirdly. "What? Why?"

"Because," she said, peering at the jewelry with vague curiosity. "Girls like it when guys think about getting them something. You really need to learn how to keep your girlfriend's interest."

"She's not my girlfriend," he argued, reluctantly following her. He didn't bother to look at the jewelry. "Besides, I'm not going to buy her a necklace or jewelry. This is our first meeting."

"I know, I know, I'm just looking." She turned away from the silver bracelets and towards the cosmetic section. "Then just buy her, like, chocolate or a hair band. Don't do flowers though. That's pretty cliche."

"Aren't chocolates cliche too?" he asked. His feet fell in step with her naturally.

"Yeah, but all girls like it when a handsome boy gives them chocolate." Or at least she did.

"Hey, how about this?"

Ah Young turned to see Bo Gum examining a box of small, colorful hand mirrors. Each mirror had a different design and color to it. Bo Gum was holding a black hand-sized mirror with purple and white flowers on the back.

"Oh, not bad!" Ah Young glanced at the price. "It's pretty cheap too. Yeah, this and a small box of chocolates will get you a second date!"

"Hm... yeah, okay."

He walked towards the cashier with a neutral expression, Ah Young behind him. They talked about school and which teachers they hated the most (Mr. Park was a brutal man).

Ah Young stepped onto the road to cross to her apartment. "So he called on me to r-"

A loud car horn interrupted her. Bo Gum seized her and jerked her back onto the sidewalk as a car zoomed by.

"Watch it you..." Ah Young cursed loudly at the car.

"You idiot!"

"Exactly what I'm saying," she agreed. "Is he blind o-"

Bo Gum shook her once, his hands gripping her arms. "No, you idiot!"

She stared at him, stunned. It wasn't a common sight for Bo Gum to yell or lose his temper, but it terrified her when he did.

He shook her again, his eyes ablaze and his eyebrows knitted. "Do you know you could have died? What are you thinking? Aren't you old enough to cross the street without dying!"

She could only stare at him for a few seconds, trying to process it. She wasn't used to seeing Bo Gum get worked up. He was usually a very composed and polite person.

He let go of her and sighed harshly. Leaving her like that, he crossed the street to their apartment building. Anger started to simmer and then boil within her.

"Hey! Park Bo Gum!" she called as she crossed the street.

Bo Gum had already reached the other side due to his long legs. She called his name again, but he didn't acknowledge her. She was barely able to catch up to him in the elevator.

"What's your problem?" she yelled, panting heavily as the elevator doors closed. "Why the heck are you so mad? I get that you might be worried, but you went overboard!"

He didn't even look at her.

She continued to stare at him before scoffing. "Wow. Unbelievable. Fine, cool. Just talk to me whenever you want to."

The elevator doors opened and Bo Gum sped walked home. Ah Young didn't even bother