Note from the author: To save confusion, everything said in ENGLISH will be in BOLD font.

“Alright, class.  Have a fantastic weekend”, you smile after the bell signalling the end of school rings, “But don’t forget to bring your projects in on Monday so that we can play hangman as a reward”.

“Yes, seon saeng nim”, your class excitedly chime in unison as they gather their backpacks and shuffle out of the door.

Once the room is empty, you slump in your chair and let out a small sigh: “Ahhh, the weekend”.

It’s been nearly two weeks since you last saw EXO, and nearly a week since you last received a text from any of them.  Being friends with a group of idols is actually a lot lonelier than most people think.  No one seems to comprehend the silence which comes hand in hand with busy schedules and lack of sleep.  *I hope they’re doing okay*, you worry, *And that they’re all eating properly*.

“Knock, knock”, a voice at the door pulls you from your thoughts, “Still up for today?”

It’s Yunghee, the school’s art teacher.  The two of you had been introduced at a work party, and after realising you were the same age, you became close friends.

“Of course”, you smile as you quickly shove your belongings in your electric blue satchel and jump to your feet, “I’ve been looking forward to tonight all week!”

“Me too!  Shall we get our Friday usual before meeting Serah?”

“Ooo”, you purr as you link arms with her and head out the door, “Sounds like a plan to me! But shall we freshen up quickly first?”

Yunghee giggles slightly, “I’m glad you suggested it.  I wasn’t too sure how to tell you that you look like hell”.

“YA!”, you playfully yell before sticking your tongue out towards her.  

Still laughing, the two of you make your way to the closest female bathroom to fix your hair and make up.  You look yourself up and down in the large mirror, making sure that everything is still in one piece.  *Low electric blue wedges, check.  Black skater skirt, check.  White shirt with embellished collar, check.  Statement jewellery and thin electric blue belt to tie it all together, check*, you list in your head before smiling to yourself, *Not bad for a teacher!*.  Once you have finished smoothing out your shirt, you move closer to the mirror, open your satchel and pull out your make up bag.  After carefully ping it to make sure nothing falls out, you rummage around for your new Etude House Vivid Pop Stick in ‘California Girl’, take of the lid and apply it generously to the inside of your lips.  With your finger you smooth it out to create a gradient effect before applying a couple of dabs of your favourite Etude House lipgloss on top.

“Oh, wow”, Yunghee breathes in awe, making you realise that she’s been observing you all this time, “That looks so cute!  I wish I was as good at make up as you and Eunseo”.

“I’m nowhere near as good as Eunseo!  She’s a beautician!”, you declare as you turn to face her, “Besides, it’s nothing that special.  Want to give it a go?”

As Yunghee borrows your lip products, you give you hair a quick once over.  Knowing you were going out tonight, you had loosely curled your hair in the morning so that it didn’t matter if the waves dropped out a little.  *A tad flat*, you sigh as you try to create more volume at the roots using your fingertips, *Aish, I wish I had thicker hair*.  Reaching back into your satchel, you pull out your Benefit ‘Laugh With Me Leelee’ perfume and apply it on your neck and wrists.  

“Wow”, Yunghee sighs at her reflection in the mirror, “I really at that”.

Looking over you see that she gave up and decided to use the vivid pop stick as a lipstick, creating amazing, distinguished lips.  The bold colour with a hint of lipgloss on top looks absolutely amazing because she’s dressed in monochrome and only has simple, natural eye make up on.

“That looks so y!”, you state as Yunghee passes back your lip products, “The contrast with your outfit and eye make up is amazing!”

“You sure?”

Leaning against the sink, you over dramatically let out a sigh: “The men won’t even know I exist tonight…  If I had known I was going to be the ugly friend, I wouldn’t have bothered coming.  In fact, I might just give up all hope of ever finding Mr. Right”.

“Shush you!”, Yunghee blushes as she looks at her reflection once more in the mirror, “But you’re right, this does look amazing!”

“Exactly”, you smile before pushing yourself away from the sink and replacing everything in your satchel, “Shall we then?”

Arm in arm, you cheerfully head out of the building and turn left at the school gates.  A couple of minutes and a few laughs later, the two of you enter the cafe which has become your sanctuary at the end of the week.

“Here you go”, the familiar employee smiles, “One matcha, and one oolong bubble tea”.

“Thank, Jinwoon”, you beam as you stab through the lid with a straw and take a much needed sip of delicious green tea.

“You really spoil us”, Yunghee teases as she does the same, “I could get used to this”.

“Only for you”, Jinwoon casually winks, “Anyway, I better get back to work”.

As he turns to leave, Yunghee lightly grabs his arm: “What about the bill?”

“Don’t worry about it”, he playfully smiles before waving, “See you girls next week!”

Not knowing quite how to act, the two of you attempt to leave the cafe as casually and guiltlessly as possible, resulting in a walk that isn’t far from that of a robot’s.

“I take back what I said earlier”, you declare once you are clear from sight with a content look on your face, “I have absolutely no problem with you gaining all the attention if it means that I get free stuff too”.

You comment makes Yunghee choke on her bubble tea: “YA!  Is that why you befriended me?”

“Nope”, you tease as you start skipping backwards down the empty street away from her, “But it’s now at the top of the list of reasons to not throw you away”.

“Really?”, she sarcastically smiles before catching up to you and throwing her arm around your neck, “You’re too kind”.

“I know”, you jokingly shrug, “It’s my best quality”.

Leisurely, the two of you make your way into town whilst enjoying your luxurious cold drinks in the hot June sun.  Schools all around the area have started finishing for the weekend, so it’s not long until you are practically swarmed by an energetic group of school girls as you wait to cross the road.  You try to pay them no attention, but their excited voices are so loud that half the neighbourhood can’t help but overhear their conversation.

“I’m so excited I couldn’t sleep last night!”, a girl with her hair tied into a top knot declares, “I have massive dark circles under my eyes, right?  Ottokaji?!”

*She must be a fan of VIXX*, you smile to yourself as you remember watching VIXX’s MTV Diary a couple of years ago and finding Ken ridiculously adorable.

“You look absolutely fine”, another girl who is busy plaiting her hair to the side affirms, “Kai is so going to fall in love with you!”

*Kai?* At the mention of this name, your ears perk up.

“You think?”, she enquires hopefully as she rolls her skirt up slightly.

“Of course”, the other girl smiles in return as she ties a pink elastic band around the end of her plait, “And Sehun will take one look at you and think he’s gone to heaven, eonnie”.

The third girl of the group blushes into her hand mirror as she finishes applying a coat of lipgloss.  “You really think so?”, she beams as she runs her hands through her straight hair, “Baekhyun would be lucky to have a girl like you”.

*Kai?  Sehun?  Baekhyun?*, you eyes widen in shock, *What are they talking about?*

You subtly edge closer to the group hoping that they will say where they’re going, but the lights turn green and you suddenly find yourself being dragged across the road by the mad dash of pedestrians.  Once safely on the other side, Yunghee links arms with you once again and leads you down the street away from the girls.  *What were they talking about?*, you wonder as you take a small gulp of bubble tea, *Are EXO promoting somewhere in Seoul today?*

“You know what I think?”, Yunghee enquires as she squeezes your arm slightly, pulling you from your thoughts.

“What?”, you smile, “That we should use your new look to get more free things?”

“We could”, she laughs, “But I was thinking that you’re lucky you don’t teach students that age.  All they think about are boys and make up”.

You look at her quizzically, “And we don’t?”

“You have a point… But we think of men, not boys”.

“Ahh, yes.  Men”, you tease, “But we do think about make up”.

“All girls do”.

“And shoes”.

“Ooo, yes.  Shoes!”, she giggles as she takes a sip of bubble tea, “I wonder if they’ve added shoes to their list yet”.

Before you can reply, you hear a familiar voice yelling your name from somewhere nearby.  Scanning the area, you spot Serah standing in front of a shop window further down the street.  Serah is a year older than you and another English teacher from England, but unlike you, she has no Korean blood in her veins.  The two of you met by chance in the supermarket at the beginning of the year, when you helped her navigate her way around the store.  She’d only just arrived for her new job, and was completely overwhelmed by her situation as she was only able to speak a little Korean.  Since then, her Korean has improved amazingly, but you still speak to each other in English when you’re alone.

“You’re late!”, she teases as the two of you arrive in front of her, “And where’s my bubble tea?”

“A man wearing green eyeshadow and purple stilettos stole it”, Yunghee states, causing the both of you to keel over in hysterics.

“What?”, Serah asks, completely confused by Yunghee’s comment.

Straightening up, you hold your free arm out to Serah as you try to contain your laughter: “Don’t worry about it.  Let’s go meet Eunseo and see what free samples she can give us today”.

“Where are we meeting Jiyun?”, she asks as she folds her arm around yours.

“At the cafe later”, Yunghee affirms, “She’s still got some paperwork to finish before she can escape work”.

“Fair enough”, Serah smiles before sighing, “I’m so in need to a girly night tonight!”

“Aren’t we all?”, you smile as you use your arms to pull them closer to you, “Now, to more free stuff!”

“To free stuff!”, they chime in unison are they hold their free hands towards the sky.

As the three of you merrily make your way to the beauty store Eunseo works in, you can’t help but notice that there are more excited school girls, and some boys, than usual.

“I wonder what’s going on”, Serah states as her curios eyes assess the area.

“I have no idea”, you return, trying to hide your own curiosity by sounding uninterested.

“Should we follow that group and find out?”, she queries whilst subtly nodding towards a large squealing group of students.

“Ooo”, Yunghee jitters excitedly, “Let’s!  You never know, we might get to see some gorgeous guys”.

“You mean men”, you tease with a slight smirk on your face.

“Yes, men”, she laughs as she jokingly flicks her hair over her shoulder with an elegant hand, “Come on, they’re leaving!”

Suddenly it’s like the three of you have gone into Mission Impossible mode.  You walk close behind the group of students whilst laughing and discussing what film you should watch later to keep them off your scent.  Your acting works, and you easily follow the group for five minutes without them realising until they come to a halt in front of MTV.  Seeing that they’ve stopped, the three of you linger outside a nearby cafe whilst taking in the hectic scene displayed before you.  The amount of teenage girls and boys that are gathered in front of the store is amazing, and the excited chattering and squealing is almost deafening.    

“Seriously, what is all the hep about?”, Serah questions as her eyes search for any advertisement that will quench her curiosity, “Let’s get a little closer”.

Unwillingly, Serah and Yunghee pull you towards the sea of students.  You’ve barely edged a meter forward when a tall, well built security guard steps in front of you, blocking your way.

“If you’re here for the event, please make your way to the back of the queue”, his deep voice tiredly booms, apparently already fed up with the day.

“Sorry, we don’t understand”, Serah states as innocently as possible, apparently trying to avoid further confrontation. 

Even though she looks English, the security guard obviously hadn’t expected her to speak a different language.  His eyes shift hopefully to you and Yunghee.

“We’re tourists”, you affirm cheerfully.

“Bye”, Yunghee concludes with a bright smile, “Good luck!”

The security guard looks completely dumbfounded and quickly walks away to deal with another group who aren’t standing in the queue.  Once he’s out of sight, the three of you can’t help but giggle whilst remembering his reactions.  Yunghee, Eunseo and Jiyun are learning English from you and Serah, so this tactic has become one of your favourites for getting out of unwanted situations.

Unable to see into the store, Serah gives up looking for advertisements and returns to you and Yunghee a few meters up the road: “Shall we wait for a few minutes, or should we leave?”

“I think we should give it a couple of minutes”, Yunghee asserts, “I haven’t seen any eye candy in at least an hour, so I need my fix”.

The three of you stand in silence for what feels like hours, but no one arrives at the event.  As you take your final sip of bubble tea, you turn around and move to discard of the cup in the closest bin.  Whilst your back is turned, loud screaming suddenly begins to bounce and echo down the street.

Spinning around, you watch as numerous security guards struggle to keep the mass of excited people away from the two large cars that have just arrived in front of the store.  In quick succession, the doors of the two cars slide open, causing the screams to become louder and even more shrill.

As the first person steps out of the front car, your heart stops.  

It’s Suho.

“It’s really them!”, you whisper to yourself, “I didn’t know they were this popular!  This is amazing!”

You can’t help but smile as you proudly watch the members of EXO emerge from the vehicles one by one.  They’re outfits and poise are breathtaking, and their interaction with their fans is astounding.  You’ve never seen them at work before, so you can’t help but notice how different and more composed they are.  

Yet this scene also makes it feel like a slab of heavy concrete has been dropped abruptly onto your heart.  Seeing how popular they are makes you wonder if you’ll really be able to stay friends with them.  On top of that, none of them notice you as they make their way in convoy into the busy store.  *What was I expecting?*, you question yourself as you watch the last four slowly approach the doors, *It’s not like I can yell out to them, and their surrounded by hundreds of girls*.

With a heavy heart, you let out a sigh and watch Xiumin disappear, followed shortly by Luhan and Tao.  Chanyeol is the only member left in your sight now, but he too will soon be gone.

Yet he slows his pace and uses his height to scan the crowd.

Within seconds his eyes have found yours, almost as if he had sensed you were there.

Not knowing what else to do, you pump your right fist in front of your chest and silently mouth “Fighting!”, causing a wide smile to appear on his face as he is ushered into the store.

“Wow!  They sure are handsome!”, Serah exclaims as she and Yunghee appear at your side, pulling your attention away from where Chanyeol had been only moments ago.

“Tell me about it”, Yunghee sighs as she rests her head on your shoulder, “Aish!  How I’d love to have a hot group of friends like that!”

            *    *    *

“Seriously, Eunseo”, Serah exclaims as Eunseo tries to apply CC Cream to her beaming face, “I wish you had been there!  They were absolutely gorgeous”.

Somehow you had managed to drag Yunghee and Serah away from the excited scene in front of HMV.  Playing the only card you could think of, you convinced Serah that if they didn’t leave, Eunseo wouldn’t have time to pamper her.  After dashing down multiple streets, the three of you had arrived in front of Etude House slightly out of breath and much in need of a couple of touch ups.  

“I’m a married woman, remember?”, Eunseo playfully jokes as she picks up some powder and swivels the brush in it before tapping off the excess and lightly buffing it into Serah’s skin, “Which group were they?”

You had met Eunseo through Yunghee.  Being a regular customer at Etude House, Yunghee had soon become close friends with Eunseo over a year ago.  In your own frequent visits to the store, you had met Eunseo on multiple occasions, but it wasn’t until you visited the store after school with Yunghee that you realised they knew each other.  As time passed, the two of you had become such welcome customers at Etude House that the manager didn’t mind if Eunseo kept the store open an hour longer for you all to try out new products.  Knowing that the best way to help Serah learn Korean was to surround her with Korean friends, you had introduced her to Eunseo and Yunghee as well.

“I didn’t see any advertisements or banners”, Serah sighs as she over exaggeratedly shrugs her shoulders, “What about you, Jae?  Did you see anything?”

Pretending that you didn’t hear, you continue focusing your attention on the various make up palettes in front of you, testing nearly every colour on the back of your hand as if analysing their pigmentations.

“I doubt she saw anything”, Yunghee affirms as she replaces the bottle of Real Art Cleansing Oil on the shelf, “She was too busy being checked out by the last member to enter the store”.

“Wait, what?”, Eunseo gasps in a combination of delight and disbelief, “He checked you out?”

*!  I didn’t think they noticed that!*, you inwardly panic as you try to show no reaction on the surface, *But I can’t exactly tell them that he wasn’t checking me out… There’s no way to explain why he looked at me*.

“Oi, you!  Stop being so quiet”, Eunseo affirms as she throws a make up sponge at the back of your head, “Spill!”

Putting down the palette you have been analysing, you retrieve the sponge from the floor and send it back through the air towards Eunseo.  “He only looked at me for a split second”, you protest, “And besides, I’m sure I wasn’t the only person he looked at”.

“Yeah, if you want to include the balding, middle-aged security guard that ushered him inside”, Yunghee teases, “But he even smiled at you!”

“He checked her out and then smiled at her?  There was eye contact?!”, Eunseo queries, apparently slightly agitated that she wasn’t there to see the event.

“Yup”, Serah beams as she spins the stool she is perched on and clasps her hands in front of her chest as she revolves in quick circles, “It was such a beautiful smile.  So cheeky, yet super manly”.

*Cheeky, yet manly?*, you echo her words in your head, *Is his smile like that?  I guess I’ve never really paid that much attention to his face… I just know he’s a giant warm pillow and a great shot with cake…*

“You never know”, Yunghee affirms, “It could be destiny.  You may meet him again one day!”

Serah lets out an excited gasp: “OMO!  That would be so romantic!”

“Romantic?  How would dating someone famous be romantic?”, Eunseo retorts, “What would he do?  Push through the crowds of screaming fangirls, scoop her into his arms and quietly serenade her with a beautiful song before flying off into the sunset to make talented, good looking children together?”

“I think the flying bit is a bit farfetched”, Yunghee flatly teases, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

*She has a point though…*, you ponder as everyone resumes their tasks around you, *Would dating Kris really be a good idea?  I tend to forget they’re all famous when we’re together… But would it cause difficulties if I were to date him?  Is he even allowed to date?  I know some companies don’t let their trainees’ date… Or is that a rumour?  Should I give up on him seeing as it’s going nowhere and look for someone normal like Eunseo’s husband?  They seem to have the prefect, stress free life… Oh, I don’t know anymore*.

“What’s with the furrowed brow?”, Eunseo kindly enquires as she applies pink blusher to Serah’s cheeks, pulling you from your thoughts, “You’ll get wrinkles if you’re not careful”.

“Just thinking about what homemade cake to prepare for my class on Monday”, you lie as you make your way over to the lip products, “Any suggestions?”

Glancing at Eunseo and Serah, you notice that they don’t buy your reasoning.  Peeking to your right, you can tell that Yunghee doesn’t either.

“Seriously, Jae”, Serah affirms as Eunseo applies the finishing touches to her face, “What’s up?”

Knowing that you can’t easily bluff your way through this, you decide to tell them half the truth.  “I was thinking about how lucky Eunseo and Yuhan are”, you confess, “You two are so perfect together”.

“Where did that come from?”, Eunseo enquires as she and Serah start repositioning all the testers  around the store, “Something happened with Kris?”

You let out a heavy sigh and slump into the now empty stool: “Nothing.  Absolutely nothing has happened.  I really don’t know what I am to him”.

“Why don’t you confront him about it?”, Serah asks from across the store, “If it’s bothering you this much, I think it’s best to get it out in the open”.

“I agree”, Yunghee asserts as she appears at your side, “It’s only fair that he lets you know how he feels.  Does he show any signs on interest when you’re together?”

“That’s the thing”, you let out another heavy sigh, “When we’re together he’s really sweet and caring, plus he’s always basically claiming me in front of his friends”.

Serah replaces the last tester from her hand and makes her way to your side: “Claiming you?”

“Yeah.  He always feels the need to have at least one arm wrapped around me when we’re with his friends, almost as if he is letting them know that I’m his”, you smile at the memory before frowning, “But I’m not his.  It always gets my hopes up, but then nothing comes of it”.

“I think the most important question has yet to be answered”, Eunseo states as she begins to lock up the store, “Do you want to be his?”

For some reason, her question stuns you.  It’s the first time someone has asked you so abruptly, making you question yourself even more.  “I think so”, you quietly reply, “But I just don’t see it happening”.

“Why not?”, Serah enquires.

“Because there are a lot of complications down that road”.

Yunghee looks at you slightly confused: “So what are you going to do?”

You look at your shoes and then up at your friends.  Their faces’ show only genuine concern for you, making your heart feel warm and comforted.  *I’m so lucky to have these girls*, you think as you feel a couple of tears threaten to escape your tear ducts, *I just wish I didn’t have to keep secrets from them*.

“I really don’t know”.

“Why won’t he propose?”, Jiyun sighs as she rests her head on the table of the cafe, “We’ve been together for five years!”

You and Serah had met Jiyun through Eunseo.  They had been neighbours whilst growing up and had decided to live together in Seoul after graduating High School.  Once they had arrived seven years ago, Eunseo enrolled on a beauty course, whilst Jiyun became an apprentice at an advertisement company.  A year and a half later Eunseo met Woonha at a friends’ birthday party, knowing straight away that he was meant for Jiyun.  She had successfully set them up on a blind date, but now she can’t help but feel like her friends’ distress was caused by her actions.

“Have you tried hinting?”, Serah helpfully asserts as she gently the back of Jiyun’s head, “Sometimes men just need that push, you know?”

Jiyun flails slightly on the table and buries her head in her enclosed arms before mumbling: “Yeah, I’ve tried…”

“Perhaps they were too subtle?”, Serah continues as she lightly pokes Jiyun’s exposed forehead.

Sitting up again, Jiyun lets out a heavy sigh: “They were about as subtle as a brick.  I even took him jewellery shopping!”

You all look at Jiyun with raised eyebrows before bursting into laughter.  *I have to give it to her*, you inwardly chuckle, *She’s one determined future bride*.

“That’s so like you”, Eunseo giggles as she wipes away a tear from the corner of her eye, “Always striving to get what you want.  You’re so stubborn sometimes”.

“I know”, Jiyun smiles, “But that’s why you all love me”.

“It’s true”, Yunghee titters as she digs her fork into the slice of chocolate fudge cake that has just been placed on the table, “And we wouldn’t want you any other way”.

As the waiter slowly positions your order around the table, you observe that he can’t take his eyes off Jiyun who is currently laughing hysterically, yet beautifully, into her napkin. 

“Figures”, you playfully sigh once he has safely disappeared back into the depths of the kitchen.

“Hm?”, Jiyun enquires through a large mouthful of vanilla cheesecake.

“Men are always staring at you”, you affirm as you stir the chocolate covered froth into your cappuccino, “But the one man you want to propose has absolutely no clue”.

“Tell me about it”, Jiyun asserts as she takes another forkful of cheesecake and aggressively swings it in the air, “Life’s so unfair sometimes!”

As you all watch the cheesecake impressively fly off Jiyun’s fork and barely miss hitting the back of another customers’ head, your phone tries to escape by vibrating towards the edge of the table.

“Is it from Kris?”, Yunghee asks as everyone attempts to pretend that the destroyed piece of cheesecake on the floor arrived from outer space.

Unlocking your phone, you see that the text is from an unknown number.  

“I don’t think so”, you answer whilst scanning over the message.  The name at the end makes you blink in surprise before continuing: “It’s from his friend”.

“Which one?”, Eunseo excitedly enquires.

Looking up, you see that all four pairs of eyes are staring at you eagerly.

“Um… Kai”.

“Ahhh”, Yunghee nods knowingly, “The one that face planted the floor during the football match, took a lump of cake to the face and was annihilated by you during dance charades?”

“Wow, good memory!”, you applaud before triumphantly smiling, “But that’s the one”.

“What does he want?  And how did he get your number?”, Serah queries apparently slightly agitated, “Did Kris give it to him, or did you?”

Looking down at your phone, you scan over the message for a second time.  “He’s got the day off tomorrow and wants to know if I’m free to dance with him and Tae-…a friend”, you cover before quickly moving on, “Kris probably gave it to him.  I mean, last time I was with them all Kai mentioned that he wanted to dance with me, so it’s not really a surprise”.

Glancing around the table, you can’t help but notice the way they are looking at you.  Your heart rate begins to quicken and a cold sweat engulfs you.  It feels like you’re about to be yelled at for failing an important test.

“Why?  Is that bad?”

“Erm…”, Eunseo ponders as she places her iced macchiato back on the table, “It’s not a good thing”.

“Why?  How else was he supposed to get in touch with me?”

“That’s true”, Serah affirms, “But it still seems a bit…”

“A bit what?”

Yunghee gently places her fork on the side of the plate and lets out a sigh, “You’re going to make us say it bluntly, aren’t you…”

“Say what?”, you ask, completely confused.  *What are they going on about?*, you panic slightly, *Am I being really air headed or something?  What’s so wrong with Kris giving Kai my number?*

Jiyun swallows her mouthful of peppermint tea before exhaling loudly: “Make us say that if Kris really likes you that way, he wouldn’t go giving your number out to his friends so that they could potentially steal you away from him”.

“Erg”, Serah chokes on her hazelnut latte, “That was a bit harsh”.

Jiyun leans back in her chair and crosses her arms: “Well, we needed to be harsh”.

“You could’ve sugar coated it a bit”, Eunseo protests, “Just look at her!”

“You’re too caught up in your own relationship issues to be any help right now”, Yunghee spitefully retorts before leaning across the table towards your still body,“You okay, Jae?”

Staring at your cappuccino with wide, shocked eyes, you replay moments with Kris in your head.  The busy cinematic frames streaming through your mind make you unable to hear Yunghee.  *Is that really true?*, you question as your heart sinks to the bottom of your stomach.

“Jae”, Yunghee gently nudges you, breaking you free from the whirling storm inside your head.

Feeling a couple of tears begin to form, you try to blink them away.  Before anyone has a chance to notice, you take a sip of your drink and let out a refreshed breath: “Some men just need a little push, right?”

Relieved sighs emit from the table.

“That’s the spirit”, Eunseo smiles kindly, “Don’t lose faith”.

“I won’t.  It’s my life, right?  I control how the plot progresses”.

“Exactly”, Yunghee beams, “And remember.  It’s always alright in the end; if it’s not alright, it’s not over”.

“Thank you, Yoda”, you chuckle as you take a bite of your cookie macaroon, “May the force be with me”.

Your comment makes Serah laugh: “You’re such a geek sometimes”.

“She is”, Jiyun smiles in belated apology, “But that’s why we love her”.