Chapter Fifteen: Blossoming Part III 

That Evening…

At the So household, Yi Jeong was pacing around the immaculate living room while Ga Eul walked the floors of the mansion with Byeong-Ho, attempting to soothe him to sleep. As she came down the stairs with their baby in her arms, Ga Eul heard her husband demand aloud, "Where are they?"

Ga Eul ignored the question and instead shushed her potter husband. "He's almost asleep," she said in an insistent whisper.

"Sorry," he whispered back. "How is he?"

"He's a little restless but doing better tonight," Ga Eul smiled down at her son.

Yi Jeong sighed in relief, as he approached the two. "Good." He delicately the dark fuzz atop Byeong-Ho's head, and his son reacted with a contented coo. Yi Jeong then absentmindedly ran his fingers through Ga Eul's silky raven strands.

After taking a long look at their drifting child cradled safely in his wife's arms, Yi Jeong returned to his former worry, "But…where are they?"

Glancing at an antique clock on the wall, she reminded him, "It's not yet curfew."

"Well, he just better have her home on time…"

"Seok-Young has yet to be late with her," Ga Eul gently reminded. "Why are you so worried?"

"Well," Yi Jeong ran his good hand through his sleek jet-black hair. "I just don't like her going on that thing," he hissed. "They're dangerous…"

His voice raised at the end, and Ga Eul shushed him again. "Well, I was a bit worried myself at first," the teacher admitted, "but Seok-Young is very responsible, and he'd never let any harm come to our Eun-Jeong. So, I'm sure he'll be very cautious."

"That's true, but…I still don't have to like it," and the So heir shoved his hands into his pockets. "Remind me later to kill Ji Hoo for this…"

Ga Eul smirked.

"Wait, I can't kill Ji Hoo just yet because I need him now…," Yi Jeong held his chin in his hand, considering the role his longtime friend was playing in his son's healthcare.

Then, thinking of the protective mother lioness that was Geum Jan Di, Yi Jeong continued his subdued rant, "But I'm honestly surprised that Jan Di went along with this…"

"I'm sure Jan Di worries, but she trusts Seok-Young," Ga Eul replied. "If you were so against it, my dear, then why did you agree, anyway?" his wife asked the obvious question, as she looked down upon her now sleeping baby.

"I, ahh, well I don't know. I just did. I've been…preoccupied lately, I suppose, so I didn't think much about it then."

"I know," and Ga Eul understood well. "Me too," she sighed, "I can't believe we still haven't heard anything more…"

Byeong-Ho was taking medication for his symptoms only. It was helping some, but the hospital had yet to diagnose his condition. They had been running many tests…

Yi Jeong had been all over the hospital staff from the beginning, using his name to push the tests results along. But when the process dragged on endlessly, Yi Jeong made a huge fuss.

Finally fed up, Yi Jeong spoke with Ji Hoo about it. The seasoned doctor was floored by their lack of a conclusion, and he asked to look over the test results. Upon studying So Byeong-Ho's chart, Ji Hoo determined that they had been looking for the wrong thing entirely. When Yi Jeong heard this, his temper exploded. He shouted at several doctors, called more than a few people morons, as well as threatened legal action. Ultimately, the head doctor on the case was fired.

Ji Hoo recommended a new doctor, Dr. Yu, who had earned a reputation as the best pediatric cardiology specialist in all of Seoul. She was highly skilled and was even being compared to a young Dr. Yoon. But despite her skill and notoriety, she was relatively young—and it was his nephew, after all—so Ji Hoo had been looking over her shoulder the entire time.

With the combined efforts of Dr. Yoon and Dr. Yu, Byeong Ho's condition had been narrowed down to two infant heart conditions—one, relatively minor and very treatable and the other, more serious and complicated… They were all anxiously awaiting the final test result, the So parents being the most anxious of all…

Yi Jeong studied the face of his wife and soulmate of 17 years. Although she had aged, as they all had, she was just as beautiful to him as ever. Her once youthful, innocent face had matured to one of graceful beauty. Her skin was still milky-smooth, but as of late, her eyes were darker underneath and she looked weary. Despite her unwavering positivity, the potter knew that this had all taken its toll upon his wife.

"Don't worry, Jagiya. I've taken care of it," he assured. "I promise you that we will know everything very soon," and he dipped down to kiss her softly on the cheek.

Ga Eul smiled her appreciation at him. She trusted her husband, so his words and tone of certainty were enough for her, for now. Still, there was a dull, constant ache in her chest each day at knowing her child was ill. That was enough to drive any mother insane, but what was even worse was not knowing why or what to do about it. And she didn't know how much longer she could take it…

Meanwhile…

After dinner, Seok-Young took Eun-Jeong to the Sky Rose Garden for coffee, a lovely spot atop the DaeHan Cinema. She hadn't even known it existed, and neither had he, but as Seok-Young said, "Appa told me it was a really nice place. He took Eomma here…"

When they stepped off the lift together, Eun-Jeong stood there in awe. The rooftop was covered with rows upon rows of multicolored roses. She had never seen such a sight, and a bedazzled, 'Wau…' escaped her lips.

Seok-Young admired the stunned beauty for a moment; he always enjoyed how much she enjoyed the little things in life. And then he led her to a counter to select something to drink. The Yoon boy purchased a latte—with a heart drizzled atop in steamed milk—for each of them. And then he guided Eun-Jeong to a small, intimate table near the edge.

Once seated, Eun-Jeong picked up the hot coffee drink. She admired the finely crafted heart floating on top, and she almost hated to ruin it. Still, she wasn't going to let it go to waste, so she brought the mug to her lips, just before Seok-Young warned her to be careful not to burn herself. He cautiously tested his first and suggested she wait a minute and then blow on it. The young couple sat there, enjoying the atmosphere of the place…

After several moments of shy silence, Eun-Jeong stood and took a peek over the ledge. And her head snapped back toward him. "Wau, this is really amazing, Oppa! You can see the entire city from here!"

Seok-Young smiled over at her, loving how her eyes seemed to sparkle with joyous wonder. He nodded, and she returned to marvel at the view. Finally, she took a seat again but continued to look out. Dusk was beginning to fall, splattering the sky with a lovely array of golds and pinks.

"It's just…so…beautiful…," she uttered. And Seok-Young smiled again, immensely pleased that she was enjoying herself so much. He supposed he could count the date as a success…

After several minutes more of staring out over the rooftop, the sun went down, and the place was lit up by candles. Eun-Jeong glanced around the romantic cafe, uttering her amazement once more. But as she looked around, something struck her as odd. "Hey, Oppa, I wonder why no one else is here… Hm," she placed a finger alongside her dimpled cheek, "it must be a really slow evening..."

"Well, actually," Seok-Young demurely rubbed the back of his neck. "I rented out the place."

"You what?" Eun-Jeong gaped.

"Yes. So, it's just you and me for the next two hours…or longer…if you'd prefer. I'm sure it could be arranged…"

"You're joking!"

"About staying longer? Yes, I am. Your father would never allow me to break curfew. He'd hunt me down," and Seok-Young gave off an awkward laugh.

"No, I mean about renting the place out."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" And he'd grown serious again. She studied his completely straight face, thinking to about that, but instead she simply smiled and stared down into her coffee.

The corners of Seok-Young's lips twitched; he blew on his latte before taking a sip. "I think it is cool enough now," he informed her before proceeding to take a larger drink of it.

Eun-Jeong leaned slightly over the table, her arms folded, watching him. As he sipped at his coffee, his bangs fell lightly across his forehead, practically obscuring his eyes from view. It made him look so utterly adorable—like a Japanese anime character. She could hardly stand it, and Eun-Jeong cocked her head to the side for a better look.

Catching her stare, Seok-Young peered up over his eggshell white coffee mug. "What is it?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Now he's even cuter…

She gave a small chuckle before becoming sincere, "You're really amazing, you know?"

Seok-Young's lips twitched in pleasant amusement, but he said nothing and went back to his latte. She raised a playful brow at his 'cool' act.

Yes, you know exactly what you do, don't you, Yoon Seok-Young…?

Eun-Jeong gave her lip a small bite before continuing, "To do all this for me…it's really sweet. I really don't know how you managed it, but you really did pull off 'the Perfect Date.'"

There's only one thing that could make it more perfect, she mused hopefully, as she thought of the bittersweet ending to a date. It was sad when a romantic date ended, but there was one consolation—there was always a Goodnight Kiss, at least in the movies…

Seok Young's lips crinkled up further. He considered teasing her about doubting that he could do it, but instead he muttered, "I really didn't do that much," and took another sip. Seok-Young felt rather guilty, in fact, taking all the credit for the date, for his appa had been instrumental in making it happen.

Being the son of an F4 certainly has its perks... It was truly the first time Seok-Young had thought that…

"But I'm glad you're happy," he said, setting down his latte. And then he looked directly into her warm molasses eyes. "You're happy, right?"

She nodded vigorously, and he smiled. Pressing his lips together into a serious expression, he reached out for her hand. He gently pulled it free from its resting place—atop her arm—and tenderly laid it upon the table. And he noticed she had taken her gloves off.

Tightening his mouth, he asked, "Aren't your hands cold?"

She shook her head. "No, it's OK, Oppa. The coffee has been keeping me warm…" Not to mention, she was afraid she'd spill it if she attempted to hold the cup within her thick pink and white striped mittens that her eomma had knitted.

Seok-Young shook his head, as if to chastise her, and with a tender sigh, he placed his hands over hers.

At his touch, Eun-Jeong felt her heart leap up into , and then it began thumping wildly when he ran his fingers along her hand. At first, he rubbed her hand in a brisk fashion—to create warmth. But then, his fingers slowed, and it became more of a caress… She felt her body tingling with warmth all over, as he began using only his thumb to trace light patterns into the back of her hand. And then he moved on to the other one, repeating the same pattern.

To prevent liquefication, Eun-Jeong attempted conversation, but eventually, she just gave up and let him do his work. She sat there across from him, enjoying his touch and at one point even closing her eyes. And she couldn't stop her wandering mind…

He's so good at this… It must be those Magic Hands of his… He's so good at so many things… Is there anything he's not good at? I wonder what else he's good at that I don't know about…

So lost was she in her thoughts that she barely heard him speak. "Better?"

When he repeated it, it registered, and she shook her head up and down. She happened to glance at her watch and noticed that they didn't have a lot of time left. Of course, that was when her mind began to wander again. But this time, she had different questions…

"Oppa, can I ask you something?"

Seok-Young's analytical mind immediately evaluated her question, and he assumed it wasn't good. Whenever someone asked for permission to ask you something it never meant anything good. If it was a normal question, they would just ask. But he simply nodded.

She took a deep breath. Another bad sign, he assumed. Finally, she spoke. "When did you…realize your feelings for me? It was when Hyun-Joo showed interest in me, right?"

"Well, it was before that actually."

"But that's when you decided to do something about it?"

"Yes."

She nodded before tentatively beginning another thought she had, "Oppa, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course. You can ask me anything."

"OK…" Here goes… "…if Hyun-Joo hadn't been interested in me…would you…still have…confessed to me?"

Casting his eyes down to his hands, he thought about her question. After a full 10-15 seconds of musing, he looked up again. She was watching him worriedly. So, he reached out and took her hand. "Yes. I think I would have come to my senses eventually. Hyun-Joo just gave me a push. And it's a good thing, too. I might have missed my chance if I waited any longer… If it wasn't him, someone else would have come along for sure because, as I've told you, you're really sweet and beautiful, So Eun-Jeong."

She flushed. "Op-pa…"

"So, maybe I should be thanking Hyun-Joo-ssi…"

And Eun-Jeong smiled lovingly at her boyfriend. "You know, you're really good at this…"

Seok-Young grinned and glanced shyly away, "Not really…" He didn't feel confident in his dating abilities, anyway. Looking back again, he gave her hand a squeeze, adding, "You just go easy on me…"

They exchanged a tender look before Seok-Young spoke again. "…I think I felt…something for you that day in the woods after I returned from the Academy. But I knew for sure that something was different the next evening, at my concert."

She continued to listen.

"I peeked out from behind the curtain, and I saw you. You were wearing this…really nice black dress and you had your hair up, and I just thought 'Wow, she looks so beautiful.' It was the first time I really looked at you that way…"

Eun-Jeong nodded, and he continued. "While I was playing, my eyes kept wandering, looking for you… And when I did see you, I got…distracted… All these…thoughts…were running through my head, and not about music," he smirked. "It was really the first time I forgot about the music during a performance… And I ended up hitting the wrong note. I'd never messed up like that before. I was so embarrassed and furious with myself for letting it happen, and that's why I went off on you backstage."

She looked upon him with sympathy. "I know, Oppa… You didn't need to be embarrassed, though. You played beautifully."

This didn't seem to appease him, so she added, "But I understand how you must have felt. I know how important your music is to you…"

He released a slow burst of air and nodded. "Well, after you confessed to me, I thought long and hard about it. It kept me up nights. And even though, in my heart, I had those same feelings for you, I was afraid. I was worried about all these little things that I now realize don't matter at all. My appa helped a lot, actually. He made me realize that you need to take chances sometimes."

Eun-Jeong smiled genuinely at him, but then another curiosity worked its way into her head. "Oppa, I was wondering…and I know it's none of my business…," she lowered her eyes.

"Go ahead and ask," he urged.

"Well…" She was almost afraid to know the answer to the question in her mind—and perhaps it would only taint this wonderful evening—but now that she'd brought it up, there was no going back. He'd know if she tried to play it off. Garnering her courage, she asked, "Oppa, have you…ever dated before? Like, at the Academy?"

. . .

She watched Seok-Young's brow wrinkle up, and he paused to rest his chin upon his hand. There he was, off thinking again… Was it a difficult question? She wondered. She hadn't thought so. Either he'd dated or not! Did he not want to tell her? All of a sudden, she felt a hard knot forming in her stomach…

Was it a mistake to ask? Maybe. She didn't even want to think about him dating someone else! If his answer was yes, she would surely die, but she needed to know!

. . .

"Sort of," he finally responded.

And Eun-Jeong felt her stomach drop out at his answer. Why, oh why had she asked?! She lamented.

Sensing her distress, Seok-Young calmly said, "Let's not talk about that now, though."

Impossible!

His statement only made her obsess even more. Now, she just had to know!

Doing her best to remain casual, she replied, "No, it's OK. You can tell me, Oppa."

Seok-Young thinned his lips. "You really want to know?"

Quickly swallowing the thick lump that had lodged itself in , Eun-Jeong responded, "Yes, I do."

He released a heavy sigh. "…OK, but I've never told anyone this before, not even Appa. It's kind of…embarrassing I guess…," he glanced away. And she waited for him to speak again.

"I…liked this girl at the Academy. Her name was Ayame. She was a Japanese student, a harpist. She was an amazing musician, very sweet and pretty. And we had a lot in common."

Suddenly, Eun-Jeong felt as though acid was slowly eroding her stomach lining. Oh, why was it so hard to hear this?! It was in the past! Once again, she wished she hadn't asked.

"Well, we became good friends, but it was clear to everyone around us that we liked each other, even though we tried to be discreet. Our friends all started pushing us to express our feelings…," and then Seok-Young paused. Eun-Jeong was literally on the edge of her seat. "Are you really sure you want to hear about this, now?" he gestured with his hand as if to remind her that they were on a date.

Eun-Jeong tentatively nodded.

With a sigh, Seok-Young continued. "Alright. Well, one day we were walking together to this special spot we had under a cherry blossom tree, and I just…reached out and took her hand."

Eun-Jeong felt as though a needle had just pricked through her chest. "Oh."

He continued, "She seemed surprised but happy, and nothing more really needed to be said…"

. . .

Seok-Young stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. And Eun-Jeong wondered if these feelings he had were completely over.

"After that," he continued, "we were sort of like a couple for about two weeks. We became more open with our feelings... We ate lunch together, rehearsed together, held hands in public, and talked about a lot of things. We would even…say things to each other…about how we felt…"

Hearing all of this was quickly becoming too much for Eun-Jeong, and she felt a pinching sensation inside. She clutched at her suddenly throbbing chest.

"Eun-Jeong-ah, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. He placed a hand upon her shoulder, as she took short, calming breaths. "…N-nothing…I'm fine," she managed to say.

"Do you need a doctor?"

She shook her head rapidly. She knew well that her problem was nothing a doctor could fix…

Seok-Young sighed, finally realizing the reason for her malaise. "I told you we didn't need to talk about this. It's upsetting you…"

"No," she immediately denied it with a shake of the head.

Sometimes she truly believed he knew her own mind better than she. Yes, he was right that it was upsetting her, but she didn't want him thinking that. "No, it's not that. It's…nothing. I'm OK. Please, go on, Oppa."

With another exhale, he continued his story.

. . .

After standing it as long as she could, Eun-Jeong butted in, "So, did…anything…happen…between you two?" she asked, tremulous. She'd attempted to sound casual rather than insanely jealous, as she was, but she wasn't sure that came across.

"I'm coming to that," he explained.

Oh, what is he going to say?! she lamented. Is he dragging it out to torture me?!

Now, the needle-pricking sensation had spread all throughout her chest. And she feared she was going to have one of those infamous panic attacks that he seemed to bring about in her. Shutting her eyes, she attempted to clear her mind of negative thoughts. She took a few short breaths.

"Eun-Jeong-ah, are you alright?!" he demanded.

Breathing slowly, her eyes shut tight, she nodded. Reminding herself it was all in the past, she put on a smile and slowly opened her eyes. "Yes, of course, Oppa. I just felt a little faint suddenly."

But in her head, she was screaming, No, I'm not alright! I'm dying, Oppa... I'm dying; I can't hear any more of this!

"Eun-Jeong-ah, maybe we should go…"

She shook her head. "No, not yet, Oppa. Please..."

Thinking of him with another girl had sunk her into the depths of despair. But despite the pain of having to hear his story, she didn't want to end the date early, so she encouraged him to continue.

He didn't seem convinced, so she further urged him on.

"OK…," and he hesitantly began again. "Well, everything was really great for about a week after that. We were practically inseparable. There was some pressure, though. We knew people were talking about us and…assuming we were doing things, but nothing had happened between us, not even a kiss..."

Eun-Jeong inadvertently sighed in relief, but then she wondered what was to come next in his story. She felt the prickling resume…

"Well, I guess she had been thinking about things, and a few days later, she talked to me. She basically…expressed the desire to…take things a little further with me…"

Oh God, no, no, no! Eun-Jeong ranted in her head. The image of some other girl kissing or touching her Seok-Young made her feel sick!

"And…did…you?" the words spilled clumsily from .

"No," he answered instantly, knowing Eun-Jeong needed that reassurance.

At his word, Eun-Jeong felt her spirit soar. She'd never been so thrilled to hear the word 'no' in her life.

"Ayame wanted to talk to me, so after class we snuck out to our special place on the outskirts of campus under this big cherry blossom tree…"

And Seok-Young went on to tell his current girlfriend the story, making sure to tone it down—and leaving out certain details—for her benefit. In short, he gave her the very watered-down truth of it…

Approximately One Year Ago…

Seok-Young and Ayame stood underneath the large cherry blossom tree that had become 'their spot.' It was spring—and just the right time—so the pink and white blossoms were in full bloom. Seok-Young watched a wistful Ayame stare up at the tree, as a light breeze wafted through and blew her long, dark auburn hair across her face. She tucked it aside, saying, "I love this place. It reminds me of home, in Kyoto."

Seok-Young smiled affectionately at her. "Do you get homesick?" he asked.

Smiling brightly, Ayame turned to face him. Her smile was so beautiful to him. "Sometimes. What about you?"

"Yes, sometimes," he mumbled, placing his hands into his pockets.

"But…," she shyly glanced at her feet. "Not so much when I'm…with you, Senpai," and she looked up at him.

Seok-Young's lips parted, and he pressed them together into a small smile. "Me too…" Shyly, he swayed from side to side. And then Ayame approached him.

"There's something I need to say, Seok-Young Senpai." She seemed very serious.

"Yes?"

Her cheeks had grown flushed, but she maintained her eye contact. "Well, I don't think this will come as a surprise… I think you know how I feel about you, but I…wanted to say it out loud." She paused before going on, "…Aieru yo."

Seok-Young's mouth dropped, and he stood there stunned into silence.

Ayame smiled faintly. "Did you not understand what I said? Do I need to say it in Korean?"

"Ie. I understood," and he awkwardly nodded his head.

Ayame began slowly approaching him, her purpose certain. Seok-Young backed up when she came close, bumping into the tree.

With a giggle, Ayame asked, "What's wrong, Senpai? Why are you being so shy?" And then Ayame pressed against him, pushing him back against the tree. Leaning in closer, she ran her hands along his collared shirt and down to his chest. It felt nice, but at the same time, he felt weird about it.

Again, she told him she loved him and waited for him to say it back. But all Seok-Young could do was stammer. Ayame giggled and called him kawaii. Then, in a sensual whisper, she asked, "Will you kiss me, Senpai?"

He stood there frozen until she repeated it more urgently, "Kiss me, Seok-Young Senpai…"

. . .

The Present…

By this part of the story, Eun-Jeong had completely tensed. And under the table, she'd balled her hands into fists. Her chest began to rise and fall under a heavy weight, and she felt as though she'd been harpooned through the stomach. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and waited for him to finish…

"When she went to kiss me, I pulled away. I don't know why; it was like an instinct or something…," and Seok-Young let out a soft sigh. "…I knew right away that I'd hurt her, bad—and not just once, but twice. I didn't say I love you back, and then I avoided her kiss."

. . .

"…To this day, I'm not sure why I did that. I don't know if I was just afraid, or if I didn't really feel what she did. It didn't make sense to me then, but something was just not right…"

Seok-Young continued sorrowfully, "She stumbled back as if I'd just slapped her in the face, and her eyes were beginning to water. I felt horrible. I…had never seen someone look so hurt and rejected… Well, that is…not until…" But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Not until the day I rejected you, Eun-Jeong-ah…

But he didn't have to say it. Eun-Jeong knew exactly what he meant; she recalled the whole thing in vivid detail. But she didn't want to think about that day. She wanted to live in the present and look to the future, not the past. And her present and future was with him, at least she hoped so. But, what if it wasn't…

Immediately realizing his insensitivity, Seok-Young's head snapped toward Eun-Jeong. She gave a sullen nod and attempted a smile. She was trying to be strong, but he could tell that she was hurt. How could he have done this again?! She was fighting back tears but clearly losing the battle. Guiltily, he reached out to touch her arm. When a few tears slipped free, Eun-Jeong groaned and wiped at them. "Mianhae, Oppa. I don't know what's wrong with me…," she muttered.

Feeling like the worst boyfriend in the world, Seok-Young reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a handkerchief embroidered with his initials.

"I'm fine, Oppa," and she attempted to shoo his hand away. But he wouldn't let her, and he began dabbing at her tears with his handkerchief. As he looked upon her face, Seok-Young felt like crying himself. "You're not supposed to cry on our date, Eun-Jeong-ah," he muttered miserably.

"It's OK," she assured.

"No," he gave a pronounced head shake. "You're never supposed to cry, especially not because of me!"

"It's not your fault, Oppa. I'm just being silly…"

Tightening his jaw, Seok-Young leaned forward and took hold of her shoulders, "Eun-Jeong-ah, you need to know that...even with…that person…I never felt like I do with you. You mean infinitely more to me than she ever did. And nothing ever hurt me as bad as when I hurt you that day... So, you don't need to feel sad or worried because…because I…I love you, and only you…"

Eun-Jeong looked up at him, growing misty-eyed again, and she smiled.

"Actually, I don't think I ever really loved her. Maybe that's why I did what I did… It makes sense now."

"You don't have to say that, Oppa…"

"No, I mean it. I liked her a lot, but I didn't love her…"

Eun-Jeong nodded. Casting her eyes downward, she muttered, "Thank you, Oppa."

They both allowed their shoulders to slump, releasing their tension in unison.

. . .

"What happened after that?" Eun-Jeong finally asked.

With a heavy sigh, he finished the story, "Well, I tried to apologize, but she started crying and ran away from me. And I kept trying to talk to her all day and into the next day, but she avoided me. Not that I blamed her…"

Taking a deep breath, Seok-Young said, "The next afternoon, I discovered her kissing Baek-Hyeon…"

Eun-Jeong gasped. "That new guy from your academy?!"

"Yes. We were roommates, and at the time, best friends…"

Eun-Jeong's lips parted.

"…I saw them kissing after class in the common room… I was so shocked by that. We had just broken up, and she was always so shy and reserved, like me. That is, until she confessed and tried to kiss me the day before…," he shook his head.

. . .

"I just stood there, frozen, until they saw me. Baek-Hyeon saw me first, and he backed away from her quickly. And he just looked at me for a moment. He seemed kind of remorseful, but…that person, she had this smug look on her face, like she was glad that I'd caught them. It was like…she'd planned it or something," and Seok-Young scoffed.

. . .

"…Baek-Hyeon came up to me, trying to explain, but I just turned and walked off on him. I couldn't listen to anything he had to say or even look at either one of them… I felt horrible, betrayed… Once I was out of sight, I ran as fast as I could to my room... I got out my violin and started to play…"

. . .

"I was devastated, and it hurt so bad that I thought I might die… But I guess I deserved it for rejecting her… I just didn't expect her to move on so quickly—and certainly not with my roommate and closest friend… I was such a fool…," Seok-Young muttered.

Eun-Jeong had tucked her jealousy away, and now she was angry—so angry! How could someone treat her Seok-Young that way?!

"I can't believe that! That's so wrong!"

Seok-Young pursed his lips. "It doesn't matter now, Eun-Jeong-ah…"

"When Baek-Hyeon got back to the dorm, he tried to explain himself. I let him speak this time. He said that he'd always liked her, and she'd told him that it was a mutual breakup. He apologized a lot and said he should have talked to me first… I forgave him, but I still felt awful about it."

"The very next day, she found me eating alone in the cafeteria, and she asked to talk to me. I hesitantly agreed, and she took me to our spot again. There, she told me that I hurt her feelings and wounded her pride, and that was the only reason she kissed Baek-Hyeon. She told me she just wanted to make me jealous. She said she missed me already and was swallowing her stupid pride. Through tears, she begged me to take her back. I refused her."

. . .

"It was surprisingly easy to refuse her. Maybe my heart had gone cold after that… But wounded pride or not, it was wrong. It was wrong to do to me and to Baek-Hyeon."

. . .

"Well, I guess Baek-Hyeon saw us walking off together and followed. He heard everything…"

. . .

"He was furious with her for using him, but more so, with me. Even though I refused her, he hated me for it. In fact, I don't think he's ever forgiven me for that… Maybe it just hurt him so bad…"

"So, that's why he became your rival?" Eun-Jeong chimed in.

"Well, he was competitive with me before that, but after that, he got much worse. It was always a friendly competition before—he said I challenged him to get better. For a while, he even asked for my help with music. Not after that. His competitiveness got much worse; it was like he had something to prove. He needed to prove that he was better than me in every possible way. At first, it seemed to be for her benefit, to convince her that she should have chosen him. But then he just got into this habit of doing it all the time. It was hell living with him after that, but I just did my best to ignore him. Fortunately, I was good at keeping to myself."

"Oh, Oppa, that's so sad… And frustrating, too."

"Yeah, Baek-Hyeon frustrated me a lot, but I always felt bad for him—because of his childhood—so, I put up with it."

"His childhood?"

"Yeah… His appa would get drunk and be cruel to him and to his eomma. He was verbally abusive to them. Baek-Hyeon said he didn't hit them, but he would throw and break things, and it scared him a lot. When Baek-Hyeon was 12 years old, his appa came home one evening and was yelling at his eomma and calling her…names… I won't go into what he said, but it was bad. That time, Baek-Hyeon stood up to his appa. He shouted back that he couldn't talk to his eomma that way! And his appa him, shouting and calling him names, and then he shoved him hard against the wall. His appa stormed out and never came back… Baek-Hyeon firmly believed that his eomma always blamed him for that…"

"That's terrible," Eun-Jeong muttered, as tear droplets formed in her eyes. She didn't like the guy one bit, but at this moment, she felt sorry for him.

"Yeah… Because of that, I felt some compassion and sympathy for him. That's why I did my best to be a friend to him, even after the incident. But it was like he started blaming me for everything that went wrong in his life… He definitely blamed me for that person. And he resented me a lot, too, for that and for my family life. Whenever I got a call, nice letter, or my family visited, he acted really weird, even though my family always treated him well and included him. Like, Eomma always asked about him and would include extra snacks for him when she sent some to me. But instead of being thankful for that, he just used it as a reason to hate me. Because he didn't have the same. He barely ever heard from his eomma, and when he did, it was very formal and cold."

Seok-Young grew silent.

. . .

"I hope things get better for Baek-Hyeon one day…," Seok-Young finally said.

And Eun-Jeong smiled at how good of a heart her boyfriend had, despite the way he'd been treated.

"Me, too, Oppa." And then she put on a stern face. "So long as he doesn't mess with you ever again! If he does, I'll make him pay!"

Seok-Young chuckled and then he placed his hand over Eun-Jeong's again. "Now who is looking for whom?"

She grinned.

"You know, Eun-Jeong-ah, my first stab at dating, at love…was an utter failure. I had never failed at anything before, so I admit that I was hesitant to try again... I just lived for my music and academics; I threw myself completely into that, more so than I did before. …I didn't care about girls after that. They were just there. After that person dumped me, I didn't even look at another girl that way. That is, not until you…"

Eun-Jeong's lips parted.

Interlacing his fingers with hers, he went on, "When I returned and saw you that day in the woods at my house, something changed. I can't explain it, but it was like…something dead in me returned to life…"

"Oppa…"

Seok-Young smiled affectionately at her. "When I fell for you, Eun-Jeong-ah, I finally realized what Appa had been talking about. I finally understood how he feels and what he has with Eomma..."

"Op-pa…"

The corner of his perfect lips twitched. "Appa warned me that if you let your true love go you'll regret it until the day you die. I don't want to live with regret. That's why…," he paused. "…I'll never let you go, Eun-Jeong-ah…"

Overtaken by emotion, Eun-Jeong broke the hold he had on her hand, stood, and rushed over to his side. She threw her arms around his neck, knocking him back in his chair. Seok-Young gave a little laugh and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. She was squeezing his neck so hard that he could barely breathe, but he didn't care. Enjoying the moment, they held each other for a few minutes more until Seok-Young caught sight of the time on his smartphone.

"Oh. Time to go."

Seok-Young had Eun-Jeong home right on time, but they lingered a few last minutes outside her door. Neither wanted to go yet, and Eun-Jeong was still hoping for that kiss… To her disappointment she only got a kiss on the hand before being beckoned inside by her father. With a small grumble, she followed him. Yi Jeong kindly invited Seok-Young in after, but he politely turned his uncle down, saying he needed to get home.

As Eun-Jeong prepared for bed, she thought back on the lovely evening. It had been quite perfect, aside from the story about his ex-girlfriend… She could have done without hearing that, but she supposed it was good that he was honest with her. They shouldn't have secrets from each other, after all.

And then, she didn't get her kiss goodnight, but she supposed a hand kiss was better than nothing. So, holding onto the radiance of his smile and the feel of her arms around his waist, Eun-Jeong drifted off into a pleasant sleep.

A grueling week passed, and everyone was ready for a break…

The morning of the double-date had arrived, and Mee-Yon could barely contain herself. In an odd turn of events, the Cho twins were now staying with the Songs, and Mee-Yon had been missing Aidan Sunbae. She'd seen him at school a few times, but it wasn't the same as having breakfast with him every morning and saying goodnight to him each night. She happily squeezed her stuffed otter before reaching over her head and placing him delicately upon her shelf. "Noona is going on a date tonight, Otter!" she giggled. "You know him…he was the one who picked you up that one time…," and Mee-Yon nearly squealed at the memory of falling on top of Aidan in bed. At the time it had been humiliating, but now she looked upon it fondly.

After securing her otter in its place, she bolted out of bed. Grabbing her uniform out of her closet, she got dressed, brushed her shoulder-length hair, and rushed out of her room. Ji Hoo was just passing by at the time, and she nearly took him out. He took evasive action. "Sorry, Appa!" she shouted back, and she gave him two quick bows before bounding down the stairs like a puppy.

With a sigh, Ji Hoo stuffed his hands into his pockets and followed his daughter down the stairs. She was already far ahead of him, and once Ji Hoo made it to the kitchen Mee-Yon was already seated across from her brother at the island, stuffing her face. Meanwhile, Jan Di was at the stove preparing a plate of food.

"Good morning," Ji Hoo greeted.

Jan Di turned to greet her husband. "Oh, good morning, darling." And then she picked up the plate of food and carried it over to him.

When Ji Hoo reached for it, she swatted his hand away. "This is for Harabeoji. Yours is on the table where it always is," she shook her head and kissed her husband before leaving the kitchen to take the plate to Grandfather.

Ji Hoo took his seat at the head of the table. Gingerly placing his cloth napkin upon his lap, he again greeted his children, who were apparently in La-La Land the first time he said good morning to them.

"Good morning, Appa," Seok-Young said.

"Good morning, Appa!" Mee-yon chimed in through a mouthful of eggs.

"Mee-Yon-ah, don't talk with your mouth full," Ji Hoo warned. "You'll choke."

"Not to mention it's rude," Seok-Young muttered in a low tone from across the table.

Mee-Yon frowned at her older brother but then shrugged it off, assuming he was just in a snit because he had to accompany her on her date tonight. She finished off the bite in and muttered, "Sorry, Appa."

"That's OK, my little lotus."

Seok-Young shook his head and took a bite of his breakfast. It was then that Ji Hoo received a video call from Ha-Joon.

"Good morning, Son, or rather good night," Ji Hoo smiled at his adopted son who was currently in Boston checking the area for apartments.

"Yes, it's nighttime here, Appa. Good morning to you. And are Eomma, Mee-Yon-ah, and Seok-Young-ah with you?"

"Your Eomma is in the other room, but your brother and sister are here," and he set his phone where they all could see.

"Ha-Joon Oppa, I'm going on a date tonight!" Mee-Yon blurted out excitedly.

"A date? Wow, really, Mee-Yon-ah? That's great," the psychiatry student replied.

The four exchanged some pleasantries until Jan Di called for Ji Hoo from the next room. Her voice carried, so he was able to clearly hear. "Oh, your eomma needs me. I'll be right back, Son. Talk to your brother," Ji Hoo said.

And then it was three. Mee-Yon prattled on to Ha-Joon about how excited she was, while Seok-Young barely said a word. And then Mee-Yon went for more milk.

"Soo, Mee-Yon has a new boyfriend," Ha-Joon commented once she'd left the vicinity.

"Not boyfriend, just a date," Seok-Young corrected.

"Well, how could you let this happen, little brother?" Ha-Joon half-teased.

"Me?! Blame, Appa…," Seok-Young growled.

"I was joking," Ha-Joon smirked, and Seok-Young blew the bangs out of his face.

"So, what do we know about this guy?"

"Not enough," Seok-Young replied.

"What do we think of him?" Ha-Joon asked, eyeing Seok-Young closely on the small screen.

Seok-Young scoffed.

"You hate him, right?"

"Very perceptive, Hyung…"

"Hm, I wonder why that might be…"

"Oh, not this, Hyung!" Seok-Young snipped.

"What?"

"I'm not in the mood for you to play psychiatrist this morning… I already know what your analysis is going to be. You think I'm overprotective and jealous, right?"

"Temperamental, too," Ha-Joon quipped, to which Seok-Young scowled. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. But should I be worried about her?"

"No, I'll look out for her. I'm going on this so-called date, too. That's the only reason Appa let her go."

Ha-Joon nodded.

Then Mee-Yon returned with her milk. Several minutes later, Jan Di and Ji Hoo came back, and they joined in the conversation with their adopted son in the states. Immediately, the group was on to happier subjects, discussing their upcoming vacation and Ha-Joon's wedding.

*** 

To her great disappointment, Mee-Yon didn't see Aidan all day. But it was no matter. Nothing could dampen her spirits as she readied for her date. And waiting just made the heart grow fonder, right?

Immediately, Mee-Yon dismissed that thought. She wasn't supposed to have any kind of heartfelt feelings for Aidan Sunbae, was she?

With a sigh of longing, she muttered, "Too late…"

Later That Evening…

Aidan was transported to the Yoon home

Since there were four of them—and there was no way Ji Hoo was going to allow Aidan to illegally drive a car here—the young couples were dropped off at the movie theater in the new Yoon Escalade. They got in, and Seok-Young strategically arranged the seating, so that he and Eun-Jeong were in the back, and Aidan and Mee-Yon were sitting separately in the leather bucket seats in front of them.

While they drove, Seok-Young kept a close eye on the hands of Aidan and his sister. Both had one arm dangling over the armrest, and he was intent upon ensuring they did not touch even the slightest bit.

From beside him, Eun-Jeong could tell what her boyfriend was concerned about, and she had to admit that she'd hoped for something similar. In fact, she was dying to slip her hand into his in the darkened backseat, just as they had done when they watched the movie at his house. And she would love for him to her hand as he did on last week's date.

But no, she had the feeling this date was going to be nothing like the last one… She only hoped that they would get through it, for Seok-Young already had that strange look in his eyes. She could practically hear the wheels in his head turning as he plotted on how to keep Aidan and Mee-Yon apart.

Still, it was worth a try…

Seok-Young sat there with one hand in his lap and the other resting on the seat on her side. It was the perfect opportunity! So, delicately, Eun-Jeong placed her hand upon the leather seat, just next to his. With a casual glance out her window, she cautiously inched her fingers closer to his hand. She felt like a thief carefully picking a lock. Then, ultra-slowly, she touched one of his fingers with hers…

But he barely reacted.

She decided to try once more, and she lightly tapped his long, slender hand again. Nothing! Eun-Jeong let out a soft sigh before pulling her hand back. But he didn't even register the subtle noise. Placing both hands in her lap, she stared out the window, moping.

Eun-Jeong continued casting extraneous glances at Seok-Young, but he didn't seem to notice.

It was as she expected… Her boyfriend had entered that hyper-focused, mysterious zone of Yoon Seok-Young—that same world he went to when he was playing, where nothing else mattered and no one got in without special permission.

And right now, his focus was upon Aidan and Mee-Yon.

The pop star and her best friend were quiet, and she assumed they were both nervous. It was a bit surprising that a celebrity like Aidan could be so nervous around a girl…

Maybe some conversation would break the ice and ease the effervescent tension in the car, Eun-Jeong thought. So, she began rattling on about whatever popped into her head…

"It's such a nice night, isn't it? It's getting warmer! Oh, I hope spring is on its way…"

Murmurs of agreement. And then silence…

. . .

Placing a finger to her chin, Eun-Jeong pondered. "Oh! Ya, I heard this movie was really funny!"

"Oh yeah, I heard that, too," Aidan commented back over his shoulder.

"Me, too," Mee-Yon added.

And then Eun-Jeong looked over at her silent boyfriend. "What about you, Oppa? Have you heard anything about the movie?"

He glanced over at her and smirked, "Why? Are you looking for spoilers, Eun-Jeong-ah?" he teased.

"No!" she snapped back at him.

"We'll be seeing it in about twenty minutes. Can't you wait to find out?"

Eun-Jeong scowled at Seok-Young and looked away. "Just…making conversation…," her voice trailed off, as she looked out the window again.

What's his problem? He's so different from the last time… It's almost like he's a completely different person… Well, I don't like your bratty doppelganger very much, Yoon Seok-Young!

A silence passed between them…

Mee-Yon glanced back worriedly at her brother and best friend, who both appeared very tense. Perhaps they were in a fight… She wondered if there was anything she could do to make it better...

With an awkward chuckle, Mee-Yon blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I like spoilers!"

And then Aidan chimed in, "Yes, me too, Mee-Yon-ah. Like, teasers and trailers, right? Those are good. They give you just enough to catch your interest."

"Uh huh!" and Mee-Yon nodded her head.

From the backseat came faint murmurs of concession.

And then silence again…

"Whoa, would you look at that!" and Eun-Jeong pointed out the window. This seemed to briefly get the attention of everyone in the car. They all turned to look where Eun-Jeong was pointing.

"What is it, Eun-Jeong-ah?" Seok-Young asked.

"Oh, I don't…see it anymore," and she squinted, pretending to look, "I guess it was nothing…," she chuckled.

Seok-Young shrugged, and they all turned around to face forward again. Then, Aidan began chatting up Mee-Yon. She responded shyly at first but quickly grew more comfortable. Only minutes later, she was laughing hysterically along with him at a joke he made.

…

Seok-Young had finally realized that she was irritated, and he placed his hand over hers.

Don't even bother, Oppa, she thought to herself.

She saw him looking at her out of the corner of her eye, and she did her best to ignore him, but she couldn't for long. When he gave her hand a gentle squeeze she surrendered and squeezed back.

He held her hand but continued watching Aidan and Mee-Yon. It was dark now, but a flash of light from the street revealed that Aidan had just smiled at Mee-Yon. She smiled back, and Eun-Jeong could swear she felt Seok-Young's entire body quaking. She was surprised it didn't register on the Richter Scale.

Would the entire date be like this? She wondered. Or, would he ease up? Doubtful. She knew well that when Yoon Seok-Young was focused upon something he remained that way, and he didn't let it go…

When they got to the movie theater, they realized it was a no ordinary theater. Aidan had rented a private cinema for the evening. He'd said that he wanted to have a peaceful evening without worrying about fans approaching them.

Seok-Young would have thought him to be presumptuous if the move wasn't an F4 trademark—and if he hadn't done something similar just last week. Besides, Aidan was very popular, so he supposed it had been a good idea. And it probably spared them all a big headache that night.

Upon arrival, they took the elevator up to the 11th floor. Stepping off the elevator, they entered a large room with wood floors, elegantly decorated with couches, tables—lined with fancy treats, and bookshelves. It was like a mini-penthouse. The girls were completely enchanted by the place.

Who does this shameless Casanova think he is?! Seok-Young mentally ranted.

Noticing her boyfriend's unease, Eun-Jeong slipped her hand in his and smiled sweetly up at him. He'd told her before that her smile was impossible to resist, so she would put it to the test tonight...

He smiled back and allowed her to lead him around the room as they checked the place out.

They got popcorn and drinks and then went to find their seats.

Seok-Young had planned to separate Mee-Yon and Aidan in the theater, but it didn't work out that way. In fact, Aidan had chosen sweetbox seats—red, plush double sofas with just room enough for two. And Eun-Jeong was sure Seok-Young was going to kill the pop star when he found out.

But Eun-Jeong liked the seats. They were cozy and romantic, which she assumed was precisely the reason Seok-Young hated them. The four of them ended up in two double sofas next to each other, with the girls on the inside—next to one another—and the guys on the outside.

The movie began, and Seok-Young did his best to focus on it, and more importantly, upon the lovely young woman beside him, but he couldn't help feeling distracted. He was so worried that Aidan was going to try to put a move on his baby sister, so he kept looking over. Eun-Jeong was blocking his view, so he attempted to look subtly past her. When she noticed and looked at him, as he did so, he would look into her eyes for a moment, smile, and sit back.

At one point, Seok-Young decided it would be better to look behind Eun-Jeong, so he put his arm on the back of the seat. Resting several fingers on her shoulder, he allowed her to snuggle back against his arm. While she cuddled up to him, Seok-Young craned his neck behind her, in order to see what Aidan was up to. But it was dark, and the arm of the couch was blocking his view, so he had no idea what was going on in that seat. He couldn't tell where Aidan's hands were, and it was driving him mad…

Aidan briefly glanced over at the pair next to Mee-Yon and him. It was obvious that Yoon Seok-Young had been keeping a very close eye on them, ever since they got into the car together. So, he knew he would have to be very discreet if he wanted to have any kind of physical contact with Mee-Yon on this date.

Aidan had planned on taking things very slowly with Mee-Yon, anyway. She was young, innocent, and relatively inexperienced with dating, after all. He certainly didn't want to make her uncomfortable or scare her off. Aidan didn't mind taking his time, but he felt like there was so little of it… Still, maybe it was all for the best, as Seok-Young said. He didn't need to go falling in love again—and certainly not with a girl who lived so far away…

Currently, Mee-Yon's elbow was resting lightly upon the armrest. He'd given her the joint armrest, while he kept his arm at his side, with his hands placed properly in his lap. But their arms kept lightly touching, which was part of the appeal of the two-person seat. He'd wanted to be close to her, and it was nice. And Aidan found himself focusing more upon her than the movie.

Yoon Mee-Yon was such a cute, sweet little thing. Even her scent was sweet. She didn't douse herself with perfume like most teenage girls did, which was refreshing to Aidan. In fact, she seemed to wear no perfume at all. Instead, her hair smelled like peaches and the rest of her like some kind of berry, blueberries maybe… And she didn't wear much makeup either, if any. Tonight, he noticed the barest whisper of sparkly pink blush upon her cheeks and a hint of translucent lip gloss. And he couldn't help but wonder what flavor it was…

Aidan shook away such thoughts and re-focused upon the movie.

Then, he noticed Mee-Yon shiver in the chilly theater. Immediately, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. In the process, he gave her shoulders a light squeeze. She smiled shyly up at him and said, "Gomawo, Aidan Sunbae."

When Aidan put his coat on Mee-Yon, Eun-Jeong was sure Seok-Young was going to lose it. He'd, of course, noticed and had tensed up. And Eun-Jeong was honestly surprised he hadn't attempted to lunge over her to prevent such a terrible thing from happening. She could tell that he was looking past her now and glaring at Aidan, which was totally useless in the darkened theater. Maybe he thought he could burn a hole in him with his eyes...

To take his mind off the couple—and get a little attention for herself—Eun-Jeong shivered.

But Seok-Young didn't even seem to notice. With a sigh, she decided to be more obvious about it. "Brrr, it's so cold in here…" She was ashamed of herself for such a cheap trick, but she was more ashamed of the way her boyfriend was acting.

When he still didn't react, she tried the more direct route. "Oppa, I'm a bit cold," she whispered.

"Oh!" he whispered back. "I'm sorry, Eun-Jeong-ah!"

Finally!

And then he took off his jacket. She smiled as he placed it over her shoulders, but then he was right back at watching Aidan and Mee-Yon.

With a sigh, she wondered if he even knew what the movie was about. She barely did—and not for any…romantic reasons… It was because she had been so preoccupied with making sure he was keeping in line—and with subtle attempts at distracting him from Aidan and Mee-Yon.

What an exhausting date!

The movie was well past the halfway mark, and Aidan finally decided to just go for it. Putting his arm around her would be too obvious, but he'd been thinking about trying to hold her hand. Surely that was harmless enough, and Seok-Young would never know. Although, he had gotten up a few times to 'go to the bathroom,' but it was obviously a ploy to check up on them. Aidan rolled his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly inched his hand away from his lap and toward Mee-Yon's, keeping his eyes glued the screen. When he barely touched one of her fingers, Mee-Yon flinched. Clenching his jaw, Aidan peered over at the couple next to them. Seok-Young hadn't noticed. At last, he was watching the movie!

Mee-Yon looked up at Aidan, and he smiled and mouthed a sorry to her. With a shy smile back, she shook her head, as if to indicate it was OK. They went back to their previous positions. After a few more minutes, he tried again. She flinched again but not so much this time, and she seemed to understand what he was doing…

When Aidan touched her hand, Mee-Yon felt a surge of electricity shoot throughout her entire body. It was so strange that the slightest touch had caused her whole body to awaken! In fact, she had never felt so completely aware of her body and its signals before.

But then, he'd apologized to her, so she assumed he hadn't meant to touch her. Poking her lip out slightly in disappointment, she turned her attention back on the screen.

When she felt his fingers upon hers again, her heart started pounding. It began in her chest and rang through her ears. Did he actually want to hold her hand? She couldn't believe it. She wanted to hold his, for sure. Deciding to give him an opening, she turned her wrist slightly to where her palm was facing partially upward.

This seemed to be encouragement enough, for then, Aidan slipped his larger hand around hers. But he didn't just hold her hand; he interlocked fingers with her. And Mee-Yon thought she would melt into a puddle on the floor. She glanced up at him and then quickly away. Smiling stupidly, she let her hand go limp, as he did all the work to maintain the grip on her hand. Aidan gave several intermittent, light squeezes of her hand, and at one point he was doing this amazing thing across her knuckles with one finger. Letting go of her fears about sweaty palms or buttery fingers, she simply enjoyed it. And she was sure that she would die right then and there.

They had both been doing their best to be inconspicuous around her brother, for Mee-Yon knew of Seok-Young's protectiveness well. He surely wouldn't approve, so she found herself glancing over to see if he was watching before looking at Aidan.

But at one point, she let her guard down and their eyes locked. A flash of brightness from the movie screen revealed his partially shadowed face. He was so amazingly handsome, and all she wished for in that moment was for him to kiss her. She wished for it so much, more than that pony she'd wanted—that Appa eventually bought—more than anything she'd ever wanted. And that frightened her.

As they made eye contact, he was looking at her in a way that caused her to lose her ability to think straight. Her stomach churned with nervous excitement, and she wondered, could he possibly want to kiss her, too?

A loud crash emanating from the movie screen broke the moment. The Yoon girl and the pop star dropped hands, and Mee-Yon glanced between the screen, Aidan, and Seok-Young and Eun-Jeong. He had looked over again, and she wondered if her big brother had seen her longingly staring into Aidan's eyes.

After that, there was nothing more than the usual light, accidental caresses while reaching for the popcorn…

After the movie, the foursome went for chicken at a nearby fast-food place. Their food was brought out, and ten minutes later, Seok-Young noticed Mee-Yon barely nibbling upon her chicken. Normally, half the plate would be gone by now. It was her favorite place, after all. Seok-Young assumed his little sister was either nervous or smitten, probably both.

Great…, he thought.

It wasn't like Seok-Young didn't know that Mee-Yon had a crush on Aidan; that was obvious. But now, it seemed to be getting more serious. It was affecting her appetite…

Eventually, Mee-Yon began eating more normally, and dinner went relatively smoothly. The highlight of dinner, for Seok-Young, was having a laugh over Mee-Yon trying to convince Aidan to eat chicken feet.

Next, Aidan informed them that he had a surprise, and he instructed the Yoon driver on where to go. They drove up to a building amidst the shops of Myeongdong and stepped out onto the street. Atop the building was a large sign with a microphone and dancing musical notes with faces.

Seok-Young stood there with the girls, hands in pockets, and they all looked up at the sign.

"Wait, I know this place…," Eun-Jeong began.

"Oh, me too! Karaoke, right?" and she turned to Aidan. He smiled and nodded.

Seok-Young quietly scoffed. Aidan probably just wanted to further show off his singing talent to impress Mee-Yon.

"You girls like to sing, don't you?" the pop star asked.

Eun-Jeong nodded, but Mee-Yon appeared uncertain. Placing a finger to her lips, she paused. "Well, yes, Sunbae. I like singing with my friends…," And in the shower, "…but…" I can't be booed off the stage in the shower…

Cocking his head to the side, "But what, Mee-Yon-ah?" Aidan asked.

"Well, I'm just…not sure about singing in…public."

Not to mention, I don't exactly want an amazing singer like you, Aidan, to hear my tone-deaf rendition of popular songs…

"Oh, well, we won't exactly be in public. I rented a private room for us for a few hours. It's just the four of us."

"Oh. OK…," Mee-Yon put on a smile and nodded. She was still iffy about Aidan hearing her sing, as she recalled in horror the time that she'd been singing too loudly in the shower and Fluffy started barking and howling outside the bathroom door… The poor dog must have thought someone was murdering her in there! Well, it brought everyone in the house running, and her appa knocked on the door to check on her. It was all resolved quickly but was still quite embarrassing.

Aidan beckoned Eun-Jeong and Seok-Young up the stairs, and Seok-Young reluctantly went before Mee-Yon and Aidan, following his girlfriend. Aidan insisted that Mee-Yon go first, and he took the opportunity to place a hand briefly upon her mid back as she walked up the stairs.

Upstairs, the group entered a private brightly illuminated back room with a large flat screen hooked up to a player. There was a cozy couch inside, as well as a small table with several chairs. Eun-Jeong brought up the list of selections, while the other three took their seats. Seok-Young pulled out a chair for Mee-Yon, and she sat. Aidan sat across from her at the table, and Seok-Young settled onto the couch behind them. Holding out a microphone, Eun-Jeong asked, "Who's going first?"

No one jumped up right away, so Eun-Jeong wiggled the microphone. "Come on, someone's gotta do it," she grinned.

Aidan ended up volunteering first. He took the mic from Eun-Jeong, and she went to the seating area, taking a spot beside Seok-Young on the couch. Casually, the Yoon boy draped an arm over his girlfriend's shoulders, and she smiled.

Aidan scrolled through the list, finally choosing an English song, 'What Makes You Beautiful.' An upbeat instrumental intro began, and the pop star brought the mic to his lips. With a pearly smile, Aidan began singing into it—and directly at Mee-Yon.

You're insecure, don't know what for...

You're turnin' heads when you walk through the door-o-or…

Aidan pointed at Mee-Yon; blushing, she lowered her head. Meanwhile, he continued singing…

. . .

Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else, but yooou…

His voice rose in volume as he began the chorus, Baby, you light up my world like nobody else…

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed…

The way you smile at the ground, it aint hard to te-ellll…

You don't know-oh-oh; you don't know you're beautiful…

Aidan belted out the chorus and winked at Mee-Yon. She glanced shyly away.

Seok-Young gaped. That shameless, Casanova!

The pop prince started doing a little dance number while he sang, but it looked more like haphazard jumping and spinning to Seok-Young. I guess you're lost without your choreographer, Aidan…

Seok-Young rolled his eyes at Aidan's antics, but the girls seemed to be loving it. Mee-Yon was beaming, and Eun-Jeong was clapping along to the beat. Sinking back into the couch cushions next to her, Seok-Young folded his arms and watched, miserably.

And Aidan continued…

If only you saw what I can see, you'll understand why I want you so desperately…

Right now, I'm looking at you, and I can't believe…

You don't know-oh-oh…

You don't know you're beautiful, oh oh oh

That's what makes you beautiful!

Somehow, Aidan seemed sincere, and Seok-Young wondered if perhaps the words rang true for Aidan. Seok-Young smiled ever so faintly, until he recalled how very dangerous that was…

Then, Aidan moved closer to Mee-Yon, and Seok-Young shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Approaching Mee-Yon, Aidan bent slightly at the waist to look down into her eyes as he sang.

So, c-come on, you got it wrong…, he gestured to her, as if suggesting she go up with him.

To prove I'm right, I put it in a so-o-ong…

Aidan continued singing to her, placing one hand upon his chest, I don't know why you're being shy…

Her cheeks flushing, Mee-Yon glanced away...

And turn away when I look into your eye-eye-eyes…, he grinned, as he sang it.

(The song Aidan sings) 

After Aidan finished the song, a still blushing Mee-Yon began clapping wildly for him, and Eun-Jeong joined in. Out of politeness, Seok-Young gave a few short claps.

With some prompting, Aidan got Mee-Yon to come up to the front. When she hemmed and hawed, the pop star encouraged her further, as did Eun-Jeong. So, Mee-Yon looked through the selections and chose one she knew well—'Closer' by Oh My Girl.

Mee-Yon began singing in a soft, timid voice, but with a smile from Aidan, she grew more confident. Soon, Mee-Yon had forgotten all about her nerves, and she was simply having fun.

To Seok-Young's great shock, Mee-Yon began belting out the peppy number while dancing around, imitating the alluring movements from the popular girl group's music video.

Then, Mee-Yon beckoned for Eun-Jeong to join her. Eun-Jeong glanced at Seok-Young before taking the stage beside her friend. And the two girls sang freely into their mics while busting out their best dance moves, complete with hand gestures and hip wiggling.

Smiling, Aidan was thoroughly enjoying the performance. Seok-Young, however, was not. Placing a hand upon his forehead, the Yoon boy watched, mortified, as his sister and girlfriend shook it. There wasn't anything wrong with their singing and dancing, he supposed, and it wouldn't have been so bad—if it wasn't in front of Aidan Cho. But when Eun-Jeong gave him a hopeful smile and raised a brow, he couldn't help but smile back. He gave her a nod of approval.

When the song ended, Aidan clapped loudly and whistled. "You girls were great! I could use you both on tour!"

The girls giggled and waved him off with their hands.

Eun-Jeong returned to Seok-Young; she smiled down at him. "You really liked it, Oppa?"

"Yes, it was amazing," he returned the smile.

And then, Mee-Yon rushed over to Aidan. "Was it really alright, Sunbae?"

He smiled and nodded. "You were great, Mee-Yon-ah!"

Overflowing with excitement and adrenaline, Mee-Yon let out a giddy laugh and threw her arms around Aidan. He seemed stunned by this but didn't fight it. Embracing her around the waist, he picked her up slightly off the ground.

At that, Seok-Young bolted upright from his seat. As he was about to rush over, Eun-Jeong clutched onto her boyfriend's sleeve, stopping him in his tracks. He looked down at her; she was shaking her head at him. "Oppa, don't, please…"

Seok-Young didn't know what to do. He was stuck between a rock and hard place. He couldn't very well let some guy paw up his sister, yet his girlfriend was begging him to do nothing. Why was she putting him in this position?! He was in hell!

Seok-Young looked between Eun-Jeong and Aidan and Mee-Yon, his entire body trembling with rage. The shifty pop star had the nerve to still be hugging her! And right in front of him!

His chest rising and falling, Seok-Young looked down into Eun-Jeong's eyes. And her eyes were pleading with him not to make a scene. He supposed he hadn't been the best boyfriend tonight, and he owed her one. So, he decided to let it go. Slowly, Seok-Young sat down beside his girlfriend. Pulling her in close, he kissed the side of her head, while doing his best to ignore the other two people in the room.

"Thank you, Oppa," she murmured.

By that time, Aidan and Mee-Yon had ceased hugging, and she'd become shy again, as if she couldn't believe she'd just done that.

"I'm sorry, Sunbae," she whispered to him.

"No need to be sorry," Aidan replied.

And then the pop prince turned to Seok-Young. Attempting to be friendly and make amends for his actions, Aidan suggested, "Hey, Seok-Young-ah, maybe you and I should go to one of those virtual golf or baseball centers."

Seok-Young knew that Aidan was simply trying to appease him and his conscience, but for the sake of his girlfriend and sister, he decided to play nice. "Yeah, sounds good," he replied, though he had no intention of following through with it, unless he had to.

Meanwhile, Eun-Jeong was scrolling thoroughly through the list of songs again. She looked at him and waved him over.

Seok-Young shook his hands in protest. "No, not me. Why don't you sing another?"

"Come on, Oppa! Just one song, please…," and she clasped her hands together, still holding the mic. "You have a beautiful voice. You sang before, remember?"

"Well, that was different…"

Eun-Jeong stuck her lip out in a pout. Lowering her head, she nodded. "OK, I understand…"

Sighing at his total inability to ignore any request from So Eun-Jeong, he stood. "Oh, alright." He took the microphone from his girlfriend, who began prancing around gleefully.

Just then, a waitress came by and brought the sodas and ice cream that Aidan had ordered. She placed them on the table.

"Take a seat," Seok-Young directed, and she did so immediately. As Eun-Jeong settled in, Seok-Young brought up the screen and began looking carefully through the selections. What to sing…?

Turning toward her on the couch, he asked, "What would you like to hear?"

"Kim Hyun Joong!" Eun-Jeong exclaimed.

"Oh right, Eomma's favorite…," Seok-Young muttered.

And Eun-Jeong giggled. "My eomma likes him, too, but don't tell my appa."

"Him, really?" Seok-Young questioned.

"Yes!" Eun-Jeong vibrantly nodded her head.

"So, do you like him, too, Eun-Jeong-ah? Because he's old enough to be your appa, you know? That's pretty creepy…"

"Ya, I just think his songs are good, and I like his voice!" She shouted at him. 

"Alright, fine. Which song do you want to hear, then?"

"How about… 'I'm Your Man!'"

Seok-Young nodded and brought up the song, which he was embarrassed to admit he was familiar with. And he sang it to perfection, even imitating some of the gestures he'd seen the singer do. In response, Eun-Jeong giggled and affectionately called him a dork.

The three clapped for Seok-Young when he finished, and he gave a short bow before returning to his table.

The girls then convinced Aidan to perform a double lineup of SS501's 'Let Me Be the One' and 'Love Ya.' And then Eun-Jeong sang a haunting rendition of Taeyang's 'Eyes, Nose, Lips.'

Afterward, Aidan suggested a duet with Mee-Yon, and they selected G.Na and Rain's 'What I Want to Do Once I Have a Lover.'

"I love this song!" Eun-Jeong burst out with. From beside her, Seok-Young was thinking that he didn't particularly like the song choice, but so long as Aidan didn't attempt any of Rain's dance moves, he'd be fine…

Then, Mee-Yon began softly singing the female part. She laughed at herself when she messed up the English, and Aidan helped her along with it. Mee-Yon giggled as she attempted to sing, 'Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby Boo.'

"Ahh, my pronunciation is so horrible!" Mee-Yon lamented, but Aidan encouraged her to keep going. Then, Aidan began singing Rain's part when it came up, needing some assistance with the Korean lyrics, himself.

Before they knew it, both were smiling and belting out the lyrics, without caring if they messed it up. And then Aidan put his arm around Mee-Yon's shoulder and pulled her in. She cast her eyes shyly downward but allowed him to keep her close.

On the couch, Eun-Jeong was swaying along to the music. She turned to look at Seok-Young, and he was frowning and leaning forward. "Oppa, what's wrong?" she whispered.

Seok-Young exhaled sharply. "Nothing…," he muttered, doing his best to refrain from storming over there and tearing apart the tender duo.

Catching sight of Seok-Young's uneasiness, Eun-Jeong asked, "Oppa, what is it?"

With a sigh, Seok-Young gestured toward Aidan and Mee-Yon, "That. That's what's wrong."

"What? I don't see anything wrong. They're just singing…"

Seok-Young worked to keep his cool, but he just couldn't take it anymore. "They're too close. I can't believe he has the nerve to… All night, he's been pushing me and pushing me… And I've just let it go…"

Eun-Jeong ran her hand along Seok-Young's arm in hopes of comforting him. "I know he bugs you, and you're worried about Mee-Yon-ah, but…he makes her happy…"

When the chorus came up, Aidan and Mee-Yon faced each other, singing to one another. Then, Aidan leaned in ever so slightly. They were entirely too close for Seok-Young's liking—again.

Seok-Young stood, blurting out, "I don't care!" Then he started to go over, but Eun-Jeong grabbed onto him again.

Unwavering, she said, "Oppa, don't."

Seok-Young hesitated but didn't look at her, as he was focused upon his goal of separating Aidan and Mee-Yon. Deciding to ignore his girlfriend's request, Seok-Young took a step forward, but Eun-Jeong held on. "Oppa, please don't," she begged. "Please, just…stay here with me…"

At that, he looked down into her eyes, once more pleading with him, and he softened. He looked between Eun-Jeong and Mee-Yon. But when Aidan leaned in a bit closer, as if he was considering kissing her, that did it for Seok-Young.

He'd been holding back all night, but no longer!

Mumbling, "I'm sorry. I'll be right back," to Eun-Jeong, he stormed over to Aidan and Mee-Yon.

Eun-Jeong's spirit sank as she watched Seok-Young dash over to his sister and the pop prince. Just short of the ending of the song, Seok-Young pushed his way between them, grasped onto Mee-Yon's wrist and pulled her away from Aidan.

"Oppa, wh-what are you doing?!" Mee-Yon demanded.

"Song's over. I need to speak with you, in private," Seok-Young insisted, as he dragged his sister off by the wrist.

Mee-Yon looked back at Aidan in pure confusion, as he stared after her, equally bewildered.

Clutching at her wrist, Seok-Young pulled Mee-Yon along behind him, while she protested, "Oppa, where are you taking me? Oppa, let me go!"

But Seok-Young kept a firm grip, taking her to the closest empty room.

Once in private, Mee-Yon wrenched her arm free of Seok-Young's grasp. "Oppa! What do you think you are doing?"

"Me? What were you doing?" he snapped back at her.

Eyes wide with confusion, she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You've been shamelessly flirting with him all night! What's wrong with you?"

Mee-Yon clenched her fists at her sides. "Nothing's wrong with me!" she exclaimed. "I'm just having fun! What's wrong with that?"

"You're being completely inappropriate. …You were raised better than that, Yoon Mee-Yon!"

At that remark, Mee-Yon raised her hand and prepared to smack her older brother in the face, but she stopped. With a huff, she dropped her hand at her side. She wouldn't hit him, but she wouldn't let him say such things either. Getting in his face, she shouted, "How dare you!"

Meanwhile…

With a quick glance to Eun-Jeong, Aidan took a seat at the table. But she avoided eye contact with him, as she was feeling embarrassed by her boyfriend's behavior. Not just embarrassed but completely humiliated, in fact. Seok-Young had been acting ridiculous all night. He had gone well past a normal, concerned brother. In fact, he'd been a real jerk.

Leave it to Yoon Seok-Young to take it to a whole other level…

Eun-Jeong hadn't exactly been having the best time tonight. Oh, the evening had its good points, but by now, she just wanted to go home. Yes, she wanted to go home, but she didn't want to ruin Mee-Yon and Aidan's night any more than Seok-Young already had. So, she'd stick it out for as long as they wanted to stay. Although, she really wasn't sure what would come of Seok-Young's talk with Mee-Yon…

Leaning her head against her palm, Eun-Jeong sighed. And then she snuck a peek at Aidan.

He had been sitting there quietly, but he looked over when she did. She assumed he was waiting for some kind of explanation from her. But she had none—at least not a good one. All she could really say was: 'I'm sorry, Aidan Sunbae, but my boyfriend is throwing a hissy fit tonight. He's just being petty and jealous, and it's not your fault.'

That's what she wanted to say, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. But she needed to say something to him, so she cleared . "Um, Aidan Sunbae, I'm sorry… You see, Seok-Young is…he's…," and she wondered what possible excuse she could give. She stammered once more before Aidan cut her off.

"It's OK. You don't need to explain, Eun-Jeong-ah. I understand why he's acting like this. So, don't worry about it."

Eun-Jeong attempted her best smile. Pursing her lips, she thought, you really are a good guy, Aidan Cho…

A few doors down—shocked by her reaction—Seok-Young took a step back from his sister. And Mee-Yon got in his face again, going up on her toes to meet his height. "Why are you doing this? I've been having such a good time. Why are you trying to ruin it?!"

"I'm not trying to ruin it," Seok-Young muttered.

"Oh, sure! You've been pouting all night! You're being so rude to Aidan Sunbae, to me, and to Eun-Jeong-ah, too!"

Her bringing Eun-Jeong into it struck a nerve…

"I was just looking out for you," Seok-Young defended. "Appa said to—"

"Appa?!"

Seok-Young squeezed his eyes shut upon realizing his blunder.

And Mee-Yon's eyes narrowed. "I see. So, you are Appa's spy then? I should've known," she huffed.

Releasing a slow burst of air through his lips, Seok-Young replied, "That's not exactly accurate, but yes, Appa asked me to look out for you."

Mee-Yon responded with an over-the-top groan. "Ugh, I can't believe you!"

"Well, I agree with him! You do need looking after! Obviously, you don't think clearly around this guy..."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know very well. I think maybe your judgment is a little impaired when it comes to him."

"There's nothing wrong with my judgment!"

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe I should just tell Appa about everything that went on tonight and see what he thinks of it…"

Panicking, Mee-Yon exclaimed, "No, Oppa, don't tell Appa!"

"Aha!" he stuck a finger out at her. "So, you admit you've been behaving badly tonight?"

Placing her hands on her hips, Mee-Yon glared at her older brother. "No, I don't admit anything, but Appa…well, he just…wouldn't understand!"

Seok-Young sighed.

"Please don't tell, Appa," she pleaded.

Folding his arms, he asked, "Why shouldn't I?"

After a long pause, she answered. "Because you're my oppa, and you've always looked out for me," she spoke in a heartfelt manner. "You won't sell me down the river now, will you?"

. . .

"No, but must I remind you that it can't go anywhere? You only get one date, and he'll be leaving soon. So, you can't get attached…"

Her eyes began to saturate, but she fought it. "I know. I know that I only get one date with him, Oppa. So, can't you just let me enjoy it?"

With a sharp exhale, Seok-Young muttered, "Not fair, Little One…"

Mee-Yon gazed upon him hopefully.

. . .

"Alright, fine. You can enjoy the rest of your one date. And I'm sorry. Can you…forgive me?"

"Well," Mee-Yon folded her arms across her chest, "I don't know. Are you going to behave yourself now?"

Seok-Young smirked, "Yes."

"OK. I'll forgive you, but on one condition…"

"What's that?"

"You have to apologize to Eun-Jeong, too."

"Of course. I can do that."

At his words, Mee-Yon smiled and slipped her arm around her brother's waist. He, in turn, put his arm around her, and they gave each other a squeeze.

"Let's get back then," he said.

After the date ended, Seok-Young was still feeling guilty about his behavior. He'd made his apologies, which were accepted, and the rest of the night had gone fine. They'd sung a few more songs: some BTS, EXO, and BigBang, and then ended the night.

But now, laying down upon his bed, Seok-Young couldn't help feeling that his goodbye with Eun-Jeong had been awkward. So, he pulled out his phone and prepared to message her. Before he got the chance, he heard his phone ding. He touched the icon indicating a new message and opened it. But it wasn't from Eun-Jeong, as he expected. It was from Aria…

Aria: How was the date?

Seok-Young mused on whether to answer or not. They hadn't spoken since her song at his birthday party, and honestly, he didn't know how to act around her. It seemed apparent that her song was directed at him, but it wasn't 100% clear. And if he was wrong, it would be extremely embarrassing…

He also knew that Eun-Jeong was jealous of Aria, but she really had no reason to be. He'd made his feelings for her perfectly clear on multiple occasions…

Deciding it was harmless to exchange a few casual messages with the pop princess, he responded to her text.

Seok-Young: It was fine, thanks.

. . .

Aria: Good. I was worried.

Seok-Young: Worried?

. . .

Aria: Yes, about you and Aidan. I know you are concerned about my brother dating your sister, but I want to ease your mind. He'd never hurt her.

. . .

Seok-Young: I know that he wouldn't on purpose, but I'm afraid of what will happen when you leave.

. . .

. . .

She took a longer time to respond than previously. Finally, another message came through.

Aria: Maybe we don't have to leave…

Seok-Young: What?

Aria: Maybe we could tour here! And if we end up doing a US or World Tour, then maybe…

Seok-Young: Maybe what?

Aria: Never mind… I can't really say yet. Goodnight.

Seok-Young: OK… Goodnight.

That was weird, Seok-Young thought, as he exited messaging and returned to the home screen. And he stared at his phone. He'd put a picture of Eun-Jeong on there as the background. He ran his finger along her virtual face, and then another message popped up. It was from Eun-Jeong.

Eun-Jeong: How are you, Oppa?

Seok-Young: I'm fine. How are you?

Eun-Jeong: Fine, too.

Seok-Young: I'm so sorry for the way I acted tonight! Can you forgive me?

Eun-Jeong: Of course, Oppa. You already apologized.

And then another message popped up in front of hers.

Aria: You know, I think I like staying at your place better. Your uncle Song Woo Bin is a little bit strange…

Seok-Young smirked.

Seok-Young: What did he do that was so strange?

Aria: Well, I don't even understand his English half the time, and I'm from the United States! I think I need a translator…

Seok-Young laughed and returned to Eun-Jeong's messages. She'd sent two in the meantime.

Eun-Jeong: I know you were just worried about Mee-Yon-ah. I still had a good time, most of the time. Did you?

. . .

Eun-Jeong: Oppa, are you still there?

. . .

Seok-Young: Yes, sorry. I had a good time with you, too.

And then he went back to Aria's message.

Seok-Young: Just ignore Uncle Woo Bin. He thinks he's a gangsta…

Actually, he is, thought Seok-Young. But she doesn't need to know that…

Aria responded with an emoji, laughing hysterically.

Another message from Eun-Jeong popped up.

Eun-Jeong: I should be sleeping, but I can't seem to. I guess I just miss you...

And then one from Aria…

Aria: OK, I'll do my best. Well, I need to go to bed now. Goodnight again…

He'd already told Aria goodnight once, so he went back to the messaging thread with Eun-Jeong, or so he thought…

Seok-Young: I miss you, and I wish you were here right now… He stuck in a winking emoji. Get some sleep now, and I'll see you soon. Sweet dreams. I love you… And he added a heart at the end.

. . .

Aria: WHAT?

Oh crap! Seok-Young smacked himself in the forehead. He'd sent the message to the wrong person! His fingers flew over the keyboard of his smartphone, trying to rectify the embarrassing mistake.

Aria: It's OK, Seok-Young-ah. I knew it was a mistake. I figured you meant to send it to her. Don't worry, I won't tell your girlfriend about how you said you loved me… She added a laughing face.

Seok-Young sighed.

Seok-Young: Yeah, thanks.

Several days later…

Mee-Yon through the Shinwha pool until her arms and legs throbbed. Just before reaching the point when she felt they would give out, she took another lap. All the while, she was thinking of Aidan…

In fact, she hadn't stopped thinking about him since their date. She saw his face whenever she closed her eyes—and sometimes even when they were open. She daydreamed about him during class, and she'd even dreamed of him at night… It was getting pretty pathetic.

One date—that's what Appa agreed to…

She sighed.

I wouldn't get attached—that's what I promised.

Yes, that's what she'd promised alright. But how could she not get attached?

And now he's gone…, she moped.

Well, he wasn't gone-gone, she reminded herself. He was just staying with the Songs, but still, she missed him. She missed him so bad that it hurt… And although it was only an emotional pain, it hurt like a physical one. It felt kind of like the time she tore her rotator cuff, two years ago. And Mee-Yon suddenly recalled that time…

When she first complained of the pain, Eomma had freaked out and rushed her to the hospital immediately. Later, Appa explained that it brought back bad memories for Eomma, and she didn't want her to lose the ability to swim, as she had.

Mee-Yon still wondered about that sometimes—because Eomma had never said how she wrecked her shoulder. She assumed it was from overexertion while swimming…

Back then, at the hospital, Appa and another doctor had examined her and determined that the injury required surgery. Appa was the one to perform it. Although it was a relatively simple surgery, he was the only one who Eomma trusted. And the surgery went just fine. After some rest, ice, and physical therapy, she fully recovered.

But she would always remember that pain, vividly. It hurt badly, just as she did now—only in a very different way…

Mee-Yon ceased briefly. She had to, or she would faint. Bobbing up and down in the water and catching her breath, she recalled what Seok-Young had said. "It can't go anywhere. He'll be leaving soon, so you can't get attached."

"Yoon Mee-Yon, you're such a babo…"

Mee-Yon held her breath and dunked her head under. She came up, and her head snapped toward the door at the sound of someone entering. Just then, Aidan rushed into the natatorium. She pulled off her goggles to verify and rested them atop her head.

And there he was, the object of her affection. But he looked completely disheveled—his shirt was torn, and he was panting for breath.

"Aidan Sunbae! What happened to you?!"

Aidan looked around and behind him in a paranoid fashion. "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"No time to explain!" he said, and she watched him move forward toward the edge of the pool.

"Wh-what are you…?" And Mee-Yon's eyes went wide when he suddenly dove into the pool with all his clothes on.

After the resounding splash, he came up and whispered, "Tell them I'm not here…"

"What? Who?" she inquired, but he gave her no response. Instead, he took a deep breath, held it, and dunked his head beneath the water.

. . .

Just then, a pack of screaming girls rushed in the door. They quieted and looked around confusedly when they saw only Mee-Yon there. They began walking around, scanning the area.

Then, a girl she didn't know demanded, "Where is he?!"

Meanwhile, Aidan was on his knees under the water and keeping low against the side of the pool, just beside her leg. She didn't know how long he could hold his breath, but either way, she needed to get rid of them quickly!

"Where's who?" Mee-Yon asked with her best poker face.

"Aidan Sunbae-nim, of course!" another stepped forward. This girl, Mee-Yon know, and she was not fond of her at all.

Mee-Yon peered down at the dark spot where Aidan was currently submerged, and then she glanced casually up again. "I have no idea where he is."

This girl, who seemed to be the leader of the mob, eyed the Yoon girl suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not hiding him somewhere, Yoon Mee-Yon?"

"Baboya!" Mee-Yon scoffed. "Me? Why would I be hiding him?"

The girl glared back at Mee-Yon. "Well, because…he has been hanging around you a lot!"

"Yeah! Why is that anyway?" another strange girl demanded, placing her hands upon her bony hips.

Mee-Yon glanced down again, and she felt her stomach knot up when she saw tiny air bubbles rising to the surface. Shrugging, she replied, "How should I know why? And I don't know where he is right now, arasso?"

The leader girl watched Mee-Yon like a hawk looking for its dinner…

Fearing Aidan was slowly drowning beneath her, Mee-Yon panicked and shouted, "Please get out! I need to practice!"

"Fine!" the head of the pack shouted back. "Let's go, girls!" They all turned in unison like a herd of meerkats and were gone.

As soon as they left, Mee-Yon tugged at Aidan's arm, and he quickly rose to the surface. He came up sputtering and gasping for air, his uniform completely drenched.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Aidan coughed a few times before responding, "Yes, I'm fine…"

Then, he took several more precious breaths of air. "…Gomawo, Mee-Yon-ah. I…guess it was a mistake to dismiss my bodyguard for the day," and he chuckled.

Mee-Yon nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I was walking to class, and all of a sudden, this big group of girls screamed and ran at me! They jumped me and just started tearing at my clothes!"

"That's terrible, Sunbae!"

Those damn harpies! Mee-Yon scowled.

"Yeah… I'm glad I came here, for more reasons that one…"

And then their eyes met.

Mee-Yon gazed upon Aidan—waist-deep in the water, his bangs clinging to his brow, his white button-up soaked and sticking to his skin. Her cheeks heated at the sight, and she cast her glance to the side.

"Anyway, thanks for rescuing me," he joked, as he moved closer to her in the water.

Inadvertently, she waded backward, keeping her distance from him. Feeling suddenly nervous, she giggled.

. . .

After a moment of silence, she decided someone needed to speak, so she said, "Oh, look at you, Sunbae! You're soaked! You really didn't think this through, did you? What will you do now?"

He laughed. "I suppose I'll have to send for a new uniform."

She nodded, and they just stared at each other for an electrically charged moment. Neither knew quite what to say, but fortunately, they'd developed something of a secret language between the two of them.

"I, um, haven't seen you much the past couple of days, Sunbae," she said. Translation: I missed you…

"Yea, I know…," he replied. Translation: I missed you, too…

Aidan moved forward again, closing the remaining distance between them. This time, she didn't move away. He placed both hands upon her bare shoulders.

"Mee-Yon-ah…," he whispered.

She looked up into his cool blue eyes. "What…?" she muttered breathily.

And then he leaned in…

Mee-Yon swallowed hard and allowed her eyes to flutter shut, as he brought his lips down to hers...

To Be Continued... 

Let's have some fun and cast my OCs!  Keep in mind that these actors are older than the characters are now, so think in the future...

I have my Seok-Young, but I'd like your opinions on some of my other characters...

**So Eun-Jeong/So Yeong-Hui:

1. Kim Taeha 

2. Kim Bora 

3. Unknown Video Girl 

4. Park Shin Hye 

**Yoon Mee-Yon: 

1.  Yoojeong Moon (Kowoon) 

2. Jo Boah (slightly older) 

3. Eunha 

**Aidan Cho:

1. Kim Myungsoo

2. Samuel Arredondo Kim

 *Imagine with blue eyes (I gave him blue eyes but can't upload it 

**Gu Jun-Seo:

1. Nam Da Reum (older version) 

2. Baek Seung Heon (older version)