Ji Eun could have died right there and then with humiliation. She wanted to crawl under a rock. Shoving her shame away instead, she forced herself to look up at the older girl. Ji Eun was speechless, partly out of mortification, but also because she could not believe that a girl could be so good-looking in a guy-ish way. Ji Eun was as straight as a ruler, but this girl was making her question her ual preferences. She only hoped that she wasn't the only one.

"Omo! Mianhae, ma'am," Ji Eun covered with her hand and bowed even lower than 90 degrees to show her sincere regret.

The girl chuckled. "It's not a problem," she reassured her. Ji Eun risked another glance at her and saw that she was smiling. Relief settled over her like a cool breeze and she was able to relax.

When Ji Eun took a closer look at the tomboy, she wondered how she could have missed the little details that defined a girl. Though she wore little to no makeup, her eyelashes were too luxurious to belong to most guys. They were easily overlooked because they grew straight and a little down over her eyes rather than curled up. Her face was as smooth as porcelain. So was the rest of her body. She wore jeans, so Ji Eun couldn't see her legs, but she was sure that they were as smooth as her arms, which were practically hairless. Lucky girl probably didn't need to shave. Her clothes were far from feminine. She wore a large t-shirt over her denim jeans and a sweater. All from the men's section, she noticed. Her baggy attire shielded any hint of curves she may have had.

Her hair was bleach-blonde and styled with taste. It was short and barely made it past her ears. Her eyebrows were beautiful and there was an overall aura of softness underneath the comfortable, baggy clothing that couldn't be found in a guy.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Ji Eun offered politely, partly because it was her job and partly because she wanted to direct the attention away from her.

The girl shook her head. "Oh, no, thank you." She took a quick glance around the restaurant. "I'm actually looking for somebody. By any chance, has a girl named Sulli come by?"

The name rang a bell. "Sulli?" Ji Eun queried, tilting her head to the side. "No, I don't think so. What does she look like?"

"Long brown hair, cute face, kind of doey eyed, bright clothing..." She described, touching the tips of her own hair as if trying to imagine the look on herself. Just then, the door to the front of the restaurant opened, and in walked a good-looking couple.

"Oh, there she is," she answered her own question and caught the attention of the girl in question. The girl waved back with a huge smile on her face.

"Amber! Hi! We've been looking for you."

Ohhh! That's her name. Amber... Sulli... Realization hit her on the back of her head and she wondered why she couldn't get these names right lately. The two were part of the popular girl group, F(x). Ji Eun did not know them well. She only recently got into their music and they, too, have been on hiatus for a long time. She was waiting for their comeback.

Ji Eun subtly craned her neck and stepped on her tippy toes to see who the lucky guy with Sulli was. She didn't have to, soon enough as they approached her and Amber. That all-too-recognizable face could not be mistaken – except maybe for a girl's. Her stomach dropped somewhere below sea level.

Heenim-ie… wae? She whined in her head. She wondered whether Heechul and Sulli were together as friends or something more than that. She desperately – perhaps immaturely – hoped that it was the former, but she couldn't be sure.

"HEECHUL HYUNG!" Sungmin called his name from across the restaurant. All eyes were directed to the table with him and Suzy as he waved to his hyung.

"Mwo?!" Heechul snapped back, reminding Ji Eun of Intimate Note, the show that Super Junior starred in several years back.

Sungmin pouted cutely. "Don't you 'what!' me. Be nice to your dongsaengs!"

Heechul sighed and looked at Sulli like he wanted to be anywhere but here. He didn't get his wish as Sungmin stood up and dragged them to their table. "Be with us tonight, Chul and Sull."

Ji Eun was left standing there by her lonely self as Amber, Sulli and Heechul pulled up chairs to the table she had vacated. She blinked, but quickly recovered and stood up to fetch her pen and notepad. She held herself high and maintained an aura of professionalism. However, when she actually reached the table, her confidence dissolved. She looked at each pretty face and fidgeted consciously.

"… What can I get you guys?" She threw formality out the window. It was strange to act proper in front of her peers.

"I think there's enough food here already," Sungmin hinted and shot Suzy a glance of amusement. Suzy twiddled her thumbs and stared at them like she was watching an intense drama.

"Why don't you sit with us, Ji-Eun-ah?" Heechul said and her eyes immediately flicked over to meet his. He sipped his dry martini and regarded her from over his wine glass. She pondered this simple request with far too much analysis before finally stuttering, "S-sure."

She sat next to Suzy before realizing that she was directly across Heechul and Sulli. She would have a perfect view of everything they did. She gulped her water uncomfortably and noted that the two were very friendly with each other as the night progressed. It was amazing how much alcohol Heechul downed without getting drunk. One sip of it would get her intoxicated and uninhibited, so she didn't dare. Ji Eun wasn't aware of this at first, but presently she felt her morale decline inch by inch with each laugh, touch and glance they shared. She couldn't bring herself up to grow up and be happy for them.

As dinner came to a close, ajusshi came over and directly tossed the bill at Suzy. Ji Eun and the others shared a snicker as she "pft"ed and gave it back to him. "I'll pay with my inheritance."

They laughed in near unison while ajusshi looked lost for words. "Young lady…" he warned.

She sighed. "Fine. My college tuition?"

A smile unconsciously graced Ji Eun's lips this entire encounter. She opened one of the fortune cookies and tuned out their bickering. Her smile faded, to be replaced by a frown and furrowed eyebrows.

'There are more dead people than living. Their numbers are increasing. You're next.'

"What does your fortune say?" Suzy broke into her thoughts and her head snapped up. Ji Eun hid the slip of paper from her view when she peeked over her shoulder to try and read it.

"Nothing," she replied nonchalantly. She ripped the fortune up into little pieces until it was irreparable. Remembering that someone once told her that if she ate the cookie, the fortune would come true, she threw it away with the shredded paper. The others stared at her when she returned. Ji Eun sat down and ignored their gazes and gave them an explanation. "I just like reading the fortune."

Whoo. An update after forever. Sorry if I don't update for awhile guys ._. I have an AP Euro test next month, and I have to study for it until then. And then there are finals so... yeah. After May 31st or something I'll be totally free~ weee~~~~ So don't give up on me please :3.