I was surprised at his enthusiasm but I couldn’t help but find him adorable. He gave me another bow and I gave him a slight bow as a reply. Once we were looking into each other’s eyes, I smiled and he turned a shade of pink. He looked away and rubbed the back of his head like he didn’t know what to do.

  He stuttered, “Uh . . .  What’s . . . umm . . . I . . . You . . .”

  “Min Young,” I said finally to end his misery.

  “Huh?” he said as if snapping out of a trance.

  I giggled and said, “My name is Min Young.”

  He smiled weakly and said sheepishly, “Hello Min Young.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said and he seemed to have smiled wider and turned redder.

  Suddenly, we were called by Simon to hurry up and get into the limousine. Hong Ki was such a gentleman and let me get on first but he nearly didn’t get on because the driver suddenly started driving just as he got one foot in. I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in. He fell on the ground of course and caused the whole limousine to laugh at him.

  I felt sorry for him and tried helping him get up to sit on the seats beside me. He seemed humiliated by the fall. I didn’t like my date being sad on my first date so I held his hand and said brightly, “So, what are you studying?”

  He seemed startled by my hand but didn’t seem to jerk away. Instead he just looked at it and looked up to see my expression to see if what I had on was real.

  He studied me for a moment before answering, “I’m taking up singing. I’m planning on becoming a singer.”

  My eyes lit up in curiosity. “You take up singing?” I asked, apparently surprised of his ambition. He nodded at my question and I asked, “What genre are you going towards to?”

  He bit his lip as if embarrassed at the question I asked but he answered eventually. “I’m into rock so we were thinking of making a rock band.” He explained and I became much more interested. I wanted to ask who did he meant by we but he quickly picked up my expression and answered my question, as if reading my mind. “My band is Jaejin, Jong Hun and Minhwan. We’re still searching for a fifth member.” I nodded as he explained; I was impressed by his plans and was so attracted by how he lit up every time he talked about his band.

  “Are you telling her about your rock band again Hong Ki?” Joon suddenly asked and Hong Ki’s mood seemed to have turned sour.

  “His band is a flop.” Yoseob said. I looked to him to see his arm curled around Chaeyeon. Joon was with Jae Kyung while Gikwang was with Hae Rin and Simon was with Han Byeol. All of them deserved each other. Yoseob then continued, “I bet you ten bucks he can’t even sing.”

  “I can sing, alright!” Hong Ki reprimanded.

  I curled my arm around Hong Ki’s and leaned in so I could say in his ear, “Ignore them. They’re not worth it.”

  He turned to me and said, “How can I? You don’t know how it feels like to be bullied by them.”

  I made my ‘Oh really?’ face and said, “Oh believe me when I say I know how it feels like.” He sneered at my words as if they were a lie. I used my free hand to make him face me and say, “Do you want to know a way to get revenge?”

  His eyes seemed to have lit up at the mention of the word ‘revenge’ and leaned in closer to know what it was. He intently waited as I said, “Ignore them . . . forget about them. With a little hard work, luck and determination . . .” I looked to the others and he did so too before looking back to continue listening to what I was saying, “You’ll definitely outshine them. You’ll be more successful then they’ll ever be because you work hard and you have the will to do so.”

  He then says, “You think so?”

  “I have a feeling you will.” I said encouragingly. I then added, “If you do . . . I’ll be the first to buy the ticket to your first ever concert.”

  He smiled widely and said, “You know . . . you’re not like most of the girls I’ve dated. They’re all so cold and mean . . . It hurts to the extent I could just cry.” He pouted and I couldn’t help but just feel sorry for the guy.

  “Don’t be sad,” I told him while soothing his arm with my free hand. “You just have to learn how to roll with the punches.” I said. After that, I added, “And um . . . thanks for the comparison. I’m flattered to hear that.”

  He gave me a wide grin and I smiled at him as my reply. We continued talking about ourselves along the journey to wherever we were headed. It seemed we were headed someplace fancy seeing how formally dressed everyone was – except for my dorm mates. Hong Ki told me about his college life, he was a fourth year and thought would be cool to hang with the seniors but he got bullied around instead. He even told me that this limousine was rented by him and he made reservations at the restaurant we were headed. I was amazed by him. He was adorable, rich and humble about it. It’s hard to find men like him these days.

  We had reached the restaurant not long after our conversation had ended. We were the last couple to step out of the limousines. Hong Ki got out of the limousine first and held out his hand for me for support as I stepped out.

  My jaw literally dropped as I saw the fancy restaurant that stood in front of me. I looked to Hong Ki to see if I was dreaming and he smiled widely. I curled my arm around his and walked into the restaurant as a couple.

  I was in awe when we entered the restaurant. It had a chandelier in the center of the room but it had only little customers. One of the many waiters, probably the manager led us to our table. The guys had reserved a table for us tonight. We sat at a round table in front of what seemed to be a stage. Music was playing but no one seemed to touch the instruments displayed, not even a soul was on stage.

  Hong Ki helped pull my chair for me like a gentleman. He was so polite it was hard for me not to fall for him. We waited for a few minutes before another waiter came for us.

  He was on his way, fixing his vest and looking through his apron only to fish out a small note pad and pen from a pocket in front but he stuffed them back in as if he didn’t need it at the moment. His head was bent down low so I couldn’t quite see his face. He came and stood near Joon and Jae Kyung to say in Japanese, “Hello and welcome.” When he looked up, my smile disappeared and was replaced by utter shock. “My name is Kim Jaejoong and I will be your waiter for the day.” Someone passed by him and handed some menus. He laid them in front of each and every one at the table. I was the last of them to get the menu. He smiled at me and I replied the smile with a ‘Thank You.’ “I will be back soon to take your order.” Jaejoong said and walked away.

  I continued to watch him go around the restaurant, talking to some of the waiters, carrying a tray of dirty dishes then come back with a tray of drinks. My gaze followed his every move and as I watched him intently, I became silent.

  Hong Ki nudged me and said, “Are you okay?”

  He startled me but it was good he did so. If not, I would’ve stared at him for a long time. I looked to Hong Ki and smiled sheepishly. “I’m fine.” I opened the menu and skipped the entrée section to the main course. They had a lot of interesting dishes but it’s been quite some time since I’ve been to a restaurant so picking the right one might be disappointing. I leaned closer to Hong Ki to ask, “Which one are you ordering?”

  “I’m ordering something from the Western section.” Hong Ki answered while still reading his menu. “What about you?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said and he looked at me.

  “Well, what type of food do you want to eat?” he asked.

  “Well, I’d like to try one of the Japanese dishes here. I like traditional dishes.” I answered simply.

  “Well then, why not we order this for you?” Hong Ki suggested after flipping a page or two. He pointed to a dish and it was pretty close to what I wanted so I nodded. Hong Ki then ordered for me when Jaejoong came back to take our orders.

  After twenty minutes or so our food came. Jaejoong with the help of a few others helped serve the food. I had the privilege of getting served by Jaejoong. I guess I was lucky to be served by him, especially since he smiled when I looked up to him. I pressed my lips together to prevent myself from turning red.

  Once the waiters had all left, “I take it everyone has gotten what they ordered?” Jaejoong asked and everyone nodded. He clasped his hands together and bowed low. After that, he wished, “Enjoy your dinner.”

  I dug into my dish and – Oh my God – it was absolutely delicious. It had been years since I’d had the luxury to taste restaurant food. They were always so fresh and my taste buds were totally lit up by the exotic flavors that rolled around my mouth. I enjoyed my dinner in complete silence, unlike my dorm mates who kept on talking and didn’t seem to bother with the expensive food that’s served in front of them. As they talked, only small bits and pieces make it to their mouths while the other portion that’s spilling over the spoon droops onto the plate because it’s hanging in thin air aimlessly held by their clumsy manicured hands.

  Hong Ki and I were the first to finish our food. We waited and waited as the others finished. Soon, the both of us ended up finishing our drinks too. Hong Ki called a waited for me to refill my glass. He seemed so comfortable in such a fancy environment. Since I’ve been so quiet, I guess being curious wouldn’t hurt.

  “You seem to know the place well.” I said as I leaned close so none of the others would hear.

  He smiled sheepishly and said, “My dad comes here often with my family.” He wet his lips and continued, “I suggested for the date to be held here since my family is quite well-known for coming by on such occasions.”

  “So, you booked a table for us here under your father’s name?” I asked; bewildered at his words.

  “Yeah,” and looked at my face. Judging from his immediate explanation after that, my face must’ve told him I had negative thoughts roaming in my mind. “No, no! I asked my dad first of course!” he added and I felt a little relieved. “He even offered to pay but with the expenses I’ve saved till now, I’m sure it’ll do for the night.” Hong Ki continued on explaining.

  I couldn’t help but feel so impressed by this guy sitting on my right. He had an ambitious dream and so far that really caught my eye. I was pulled down from the clouds of my thoughts when Joon from across the table yelled out, “Waiter!!”

  I was startled in my seat and gave Joon a glare. Hong Ki merely smiled at my expression and I playfully nudged him. Jaejoong came to our table a few seconds later with an empty tray. He first started with the plates with the forks and spoons on them.

  As he started picking up our plates, Jae Kyung suddenly shifted in her seat and said, “You’re really cute,” once Jaejoong came to pick up her plate.