I stared at the open road as Kyuhyun drove me to a restaurant for dinner. It was raining again, but it wasn’t as hard as the night before. I sighed. I can’t even look at the rain without feeling guilty. Even now, with Kyuhyun driving me towards the place, I can’t help but think back to the time when Hae drove me back home minutes before the catastrophe. Recalling the incident, I couldn’t help but recall our conversations, especially the question which I never answered truthfully. “Why do you hate me so much?” he had said. Oh Hae, If only I could tell you. If only I told you how much I needed you, how much I wanted you and how much I hated you for having Sica instead of me. This wasn’t right. I was being too self-centered. I was being possessive. Why? My mind argued. Would it kill for a girl to be with the man she loved even though it was only in her fantasies? Would it hurt to yearn for somebody’s love now? Can you blame me for wanting him? Can you blame me for not wanting to lose him? I need to stop. I need to stop blaming myself; I need to stop losing my mind.

I didn’t tell Kyuhyun about what Sica did to me, although he was very persistent. I didn’t want to seem like a coward to him, or a tattletale child. He’s done so much for me already I didn’t want him to confront Jessica for what she did to me. In the end, I was able to come up with an excuse to keep him from asking what happened to me. He didn’t believe me at first, but I made it sound convincing despite my reputation of being a bad liar. So here I was, cruising in the late afternoon Seoul Street, heading to a restaurant which Kyuhyun insisted he’ll take me. I consented without further argument, and left a message to my mom that I would be eating ahead. I didn’t know where Kyu would take me, for he says it would be a surprise.

I leaned on the car door’s window, taking in minimal notice of the surroundings. We were going at high speed in the highway, since there wasn’t any traffic. The sun eventually set, leaving a pinkish afterglow in the sky. I thought of something poetic, but dismissed the errant thought because it was about love – a topic I was so hesitant to touch on. We slowed down, and I half-feared that Kyuhyun forgot to refill his gasoline tank. Turns out, he was making a right turn in Itaewon. I raised my eyebrow, puzzled. But when he began to park his car, I realized what restaurant he was taking me into.

“No way, Kyuhyun! You know this restaurant is too expensive!” I exclaimed, staring at the façade of the restaurant which bore the word Zelen. The Zelen was one of the best restaurants in Seoul, South Korea. Its cuisine is Bulgarian, and they use the finest ingredients and have the most delectable outcomes. I came here once during a celebration, but that was years ago. Plus, the food was sponsored by a very wealthy landowner who was celebrating the wedding of his son at said location. I couldn’t believe Kyuhyun would take me into this restaurant.

“Don’t worry, it may be expensive, but the food’s good! It’ll take your mind off your problems, even for just a minute or two.” He said, smiling as he went out of the driver’s seat.

“No way! There’s no way I’m busting your pocket in this kind of restaurant! I’ll be even guiltier!” I said.

He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Yoona. I didn’t drive all the way to Itaewon so you would phase out on me.  Besides,” he winked, “you already said yes.”

I sighed. “I dunno Kyu. This is gonna cost a lot of money.” I said, getting out of the back seat.

“Don’t worry!” he said, smiling. “I’ve saved up enough money for such an occasion. Besides, it’s my invitation. So I’m prepared to spend on whatever would make you more comfortable.”

I hesitated, and he pulled me closer to him, my left shoulder kissing his right shoulder. “Trust me, you’ll feel better in no time.” With his free hand on my right shoulder, he led me towards the restaurants entrance.

     This place was seriously amazing. The decoration was adequate, yet beautiful. The atmosphere was excellent and the place was well-lit. Even as we entered the restaurant, an overwhelming aroma immediately greeted us and enthralled our senses. By then, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into juicy Bulgarian-style meat. Kyuhyun ordered a table for two, and we were immediately given menus for us to choose our food from. My jaw immediately dropped as soon as I saw the first few items on the list. Indeed, it was expensive. Note to self, be eternally grateful to Kyuhyun. I thought, gaping at the lavish cuisine in the menu. Kyuhyun and I ordered a dish of Bulgarian-style roasted chicken, which was good for two people. He ordered a side dish of meatballs which were far better than the usual ones, judging from the picture in the menu. I declined in taking a second dish, but Kyuhyun insisted and I ended up ordering a vegetable salad, which was on a safe price. To sum it all up, we had a couple of fruit shakes for our beverages. The waiter smiled and said our orders would be up in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Kyu said thanks and the waiter headed for the counter.

“So, how are you feeling now, Yoona?” Kyu asked, trying to start a conversation.

I looked up, confused. “I’m feeling great, why?”

“Just asking. You know I can’t stand seeing you hurt.” he winked.

I laughed. “I’m fine.” I said, looking at him. “In a relative sense.” I added, winking back at him.

“Mmm-hmm?” Kyu said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “You still have that crush on Donghae.”

I blushed. “Why did you have to bring that up?”

“Well, talking about love, I did fall in love with someone recently.” he admitted shyly.

“Really? That’s great! Who?” I asked.

“Hold up, tiger. There’s no way I’d tell you that easily.”

“No fair. I was direct when I told you about Donghae.” I moped.

“Well, I’m not the most open when it comes to secrets.” he winked.

“Never mind…” I said, pretending to sulk.

“Although,” he cut in, “I would be willing to describe her for you.”

“Then fire away!”

“For starters,” he said, “she is a girl.”

“That’s way too obvious.” I complained.

“I was just starting!” Kyu laughed. “Okay, she’s tall, beautiful, and has this beautiful pair of eyes.”

“Still obvious.” I said. “Half the girls in Korea fit that description.”

Fifteen minutes went by and I still haven’t fished out an answer from Kyuhyun. He started laughing when I started to enumerate a number of girls who were most likely to fit Kyuhyun’s vague descriptions. He shook his head and made some side-comments about each girl I mentioned. “Oh, I give up.” I said finally.

He grinned and shot me a “you’ll-never-know-who-it-is” look.

“Why do you like this person anyway?” I asked, and added. “And please give me a straight answer; even if it is just to this question.”

He smiled. “Well, for one thing, it’s this melodic sound she makes when she laughs. And when she smiles, it seems like the sun shines through her eyes. When I’m afar, she doesn’t seem to notice, but when she meets my eye, there’s this thing about her gaze that sends shivers down my spine.”

If I were to describe his face while he was saying all this, he had the expression of a blind man seeing the sun for the very first time. Even by mere description, his face radiated delight. I envied him. At least he had more of a chance with this girl than I had with Donghae.

“Well what are you waiting for? Make the first move already!” I urged.

“Nah, she likes somebody else.”

Of course, the classic boy-likes-girl-but-girl-likes-another-guy type of romance. Typical, it would apply to almost everyone who had a crush. Even me. I thought.

“That’s too bad. But they’re not together like, together-together, are they?” I asked.

“Well no…” he started

“Then you still have your chance!” I said. “Believe me Kyu. The feeling of regret is so bad, it pierces you from within.”

He smiled weakly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The food came about a few minutes later. The chicken, still hot and steaming, spread its appetizing aroma around us. Kyuhyun his chops eagerly, but I told him to wait for the second dishes. He checked his phone while he waited, and I played with my fingers while staring into empty space.

Kyuhyun gave out a loud and abrupt “Yes!” which alarmed me and caused a few heads to turn our direction.

“Sorry,” I uttered, embarrassed. “Forgive him, he’s probably overreacting.”

I turned to him and whispered, “What is it?!”

“I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice this before. It arrived about half an hour ago.”

“What?!”

“Mrs. Lee just texted! He said Hae’s coming round! He’s finally waking up!” a wide smile lighting up his face.

“That’s great! We should go there!”

“Na-uh,” Kyu said, waving his index finger in front of me. “Eat first, then we’ll go. There’s no point wasting such a glorious meal.”

I laughed. “Of course. Speaking of which, here come the other dishes!”

The last two dishes were laid out on our table and we eagerly dug in after saying our prayers. The food was so good, Kyu and I barely spoke. Occasionally, I would forget to breathe because I ate so fast. It was that good. The food, plus the recent good news we heard, contributed to a very memorable meal. Shoving everything down our throats, the food was gone in a few minutes. I was insanely full.

“That was the best meal I ever had.” Kyu burped, satisfied.

“I second the motion.” I said, dabbing my lips with a tissue.