Joohyun woke up with a start, realizing that it was already almost noon. The sun streamed in, and she reached over to her phone. It was 11am. She realized that she had around an hour to get ready. Stretching before she got out of bed, she went into her bathroom to take a shower. 

    After the shower, she left her hair down to air dry as she started to pat on her skin care. Sitting in front of her mirror, she started her makeup. Knowing it was only a casual lunch, she opted for a natural look, with light foundation and mascara. Brushing through her hair, she stood up to open her closet. Most of her clothes were simple color blocks, nothing with too many patterns or bright colors. She threw on black high waisted jeans with a white t-shirt and added an oversized cardigan. Satisfied with her look, she wore her white vans and made her way outside. Walking to where they decided to meet, she was surprised to see them already there. 

    “Aaand there she is! 15 minutes late as always.” Seulgi exclaimed, shaking her head. Joohyun laughed. 

    “Only been a few weeks and you know me so well,” Joohyun exclaimed while sitting down next to Minho. Minho was absolutely encaptured in her beauty. Everything she wore made him feel conscious of all his actions, especially because she was right next to him. She turned to him and smiled as a greeting, and he could smell her perfume. It was sweet: vanilla. Minho smiled back, trying to act normal. He heard a snort across the table and his eyes flew to Jackson, who was smirking at him. Minho’s eyes widened. Jackson definitely knew him too well for him to lie about what was happening. 

    “Okay. Spill the tea. Why are you happier than normal and why do you keep glancing at Jackson?” Joohyun asked. Seulgi’s eyes widened. Of course she would pick up on that detail. Seulgi looked at Jackson who was equally surprised. This wasn’t how they wanted to announce what happened, but with how Joohyun put them on the spot they didn’t have any other choice. Just as Jackson opened his mouth to explain, the server came by to take their orders. After taking their orders, Minho raised his eyebrows at Jackson, prompting him to talk.

    “Remember how I pulled Seulgi away yesterday after school? Well uhm… Yea.” Jackson ended awkwardly, just holding up his hands that were entangled with Seulgi’s. Joohyun and Minho just looked at each other, laughing at the eye contact.

    “Finally.” Minho laughed, shaking his head. Jackson and Seulgi laughed with them, knowing that they were in support of the relationship. Minho started wiggling his eyes, ready to start teasing them.

    “Soooo who confessed first?” Minho asked. Jackson turned red, while Joohyun could only chuckle at his response. The entire lunch continued with Minho teasing them, while Joohyun would chime in sometimes when she thought Seulgi’s and Jackson’s reactions were too funny. After finishing dinner, they left and wandered around a little bit until Seulgi got a phone call from her parents asking her to come home.

    “Aww my parents want me to come home right now.” Seulgi frowned while reading the text. Joohyun unknowingly pouted, wanting to hang out more afterwards. Minho caught the expression, and chuckled. That was way too cute. 

    “I’m going to walk her home. See you guys soon!” Jackson and Seulgi left the other direction, hand-in-hand. 

    “Are you heading home too?” Joohyun asked, looking at Minho disappointedly. She sighed, knowing he probably wouldn’t like hanging around her alone. Minho racked his brain. He wanted to hang out with her alone. It would be a good way to get close to her and bond more. 

    “Uhh wanna go grab boba? I know a good place.” Minho asked, avoiding eye contact. Joohyun’s eyebrow went up, confused at his sudden bashfulness. Was he asking her out because he was bored? Or was there something more to this??

    “Sure! Let’s go.” Joohyun responded, curious as to how this would carry out. She was slightly tense, afraid that everything that happened recently would cause some awkwardness. Much to her surprise, Minho started the conversation and kept it going. This relaxed her, and she allowed herself to enjoy the moment more.

    “If you had to pick between living in the city or the suburbans, where would you live?” Minho continued asking about her preferences. 

    “I think I would live in the suburbans. I like the peace there. How about you?” Joohyun asked back.

    “I think I would live in the city. I love everything bustling.” Minho answered back. “Your turn to ask me a question. I’ve already asked a lot.” Joohyun tried to think of questions he hadn’t asked yet. They already talked about wanting to see the city at night, which seasons they preferred, their favorite color, animal, flower. There wasn’t a lot left at this point.

    “Oh! What do you want to be when you graduate?” Joohyun glanced over to see Minho smile.

    “I want to be a singer. I want to be famous and be on TV. I love to dance and perform in front of an audience. I love the adrenaline rush.” Minho explained excitedly. Joohyun could see the passion in his eyes as soon as she mentioned the topic. She knew that the idol life wouldn’t be easy. There was so much that was scrutinized in the public’s eyes. It was a job that she would never take, even if she loved to sing and dance. Scrunching up her nose, she frowned at the thought of being that famous.

    “I don’t think I could ever handle being a singer like that. I love to dance, sing, and rap but. Everything’s just out there in the open you know?” Joohyun explained, seeing Minho’s questioning stare at her reaction. Minho nodded in understanding. He knew that it would be hard. He would have to train and learn more about everything. He was a good rapper, but in order to survive the competition, he knew he would have to work harder. 

    As they entered the boba shop, Minho and Joohyun breathed in the scent of the cafe. It smelled sweet and cozy. 

    “Can I have a House Milk tea with boba and…” Minho trailed off, waiting for Joohyun to order hers.

    “It’s okay. I’m going to order separately.” Joohyun whispered, leaning closer. She didn’t want him to pay for her boba when she was able to herself. Minho continued to wait in silence for Joohyun’s response. Realizing that he wasn’t going to budge, she gave in. “And a lychee green tea with boba please.” Joohyun flashed the cashier a smile, hoping it would make up for her taking up more time than really necessary. Minho paid for the drinks, and they went to sit down.

    “I can pay for my own stuff. You don’t have to do that, you know.” Joohyun let him know, not wanting him to use his money on her. She had enough money too, and she was more than able to afford her own food.

    “Just let me be a gentleman when you’re around.” Minho replied, shaking his head. He just wanted to get her drinks because he was the one who suggested to come out and drink boba. He didn’t want her to think he didn’t have manners for paying for himself only when they were out alone. They continued to chat, getting to know each other more and more. Minho learned that Joohyun also had a younger sister, only a few years younger than his own. He also learned that she prioritized academics, but loved to dance and rap in her spare time. She showed him one of the raps she wrote out, and he was surprised at how good it was.

    “Damn. The rhymes and meaning behind each line is so good!” Minho complimented. Joohyun shook her head. She had a lot to improve on, and had to work harder. Joohyun learned that Minho also loved to dance and rap. He also showed her a song he had been working on, and she was surprised to see that he produced songs. He made his own beat and rapped to it. He even had a rough outline of the melody, which he sang himself.

    “Okay. I knew you were a good rapper but you sing too?” Joohyun expressed her surprise. Minho smirked.

    “What can I say? I’m perfect.” He winked at Joohyun, causing her to double over in laughter. He ended up joining in, realizing that Joohyun’s laughter was a lot more contagious than he first thought. Minho looked outside and realized that it was dark. 

    “Hey you hungry?” Minho asked Joohyun, who seemed to also realize that the time had passed by a lot quicker than it usually did.

    “Yea. Do you want to grab food?” Joohyun suggested. Minho’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t expected her to initiate grabbing dinner. Was her suggestion just because it was dinner time? Or did she feel the same? Minho’s eyes clouded over as he realized that he thought about her liking him. His heart thumped irregularly, wanting her to feel the same. 

    “What do you want to eat?” Joohyun asked, wanting to get food because she was slowly feeling the hunger. She was secretly hoping that he would want pizza, something she had been craving for the whole day. Her eyes wandered to the pizza shop across the street, wanting to go there and eat. She didn’t want Minho to feel like he had to go there just because she wanted to, so she waited for his reply. Minho saw her staring outside to the pizza house and heard her sigh. 

    “I kind of want pizza. How about you?” Joohyun’s eyes rounded. This was perfect! It’s almost like he heard her want pizza. She nodded excitedly and led the way to the pizza house. After ordering, Joohyun gently shoved Minho aside by placing her body in front of his to pay. Successfully paying for dinner, Joohyun smiled and went to grab a table. 

    “You don’t have to pay for me.” Minho told her, shaking his head. He didn’t want their first time eating dinner being paid by the girl. 

    “You paid for me earlier. And plus, you can pay for me next time we hang out.” Joohyun replied. The buzzer rang for the food, and Joohyun reached for it, getting ready to grab the tray. Minho beat her to it though, and stood up to get their food. On the way there, he could only focus on what she said. Next time? Did she just agree to hanging out again? The more he thought about it, the happier he felt, and a smile graced his lips. They munched on the food, and finished the pizza in a short amount of time. Joohyun’s phone rang, and she looked down to check on it.

    “My mom wants me home soon. I think I might have to go after we finish eating.” Joohyun looked up, disappointed that she had to make her way back home. Minho nodded, and looked outside. It was already pretty dark.

    “Let’s go.” Minho finished his last pizza and threw away the trash. Joohyun cocked her head sideways, confused. She had to go home. But by the way he said that, did he mean he would go with her to drop her off? Minho looked sideways and saw how she was looking at him.    

    “It’s dark outside. I’ll walk you home.” Minho replied, while opening the door. Joohyun smiled. It was cute that he was willing to walk her home, because it was dark.

    “Aww do you care for mee?” She said, eyes turning into crescents. Minho blushed. He was definitely not the type to blush like this, especially because of a girl. Trying to cover up for his embarrassment, he rolled his eyes and motioned for her to walk forward. They continued talking, jumping subjects from when they started dancing to what their favorite memory as a child was. The conversation only died out when they reached Joohyun’s front porch. 

    “Thanks for staying out with me and suggesting the boba place. I had lots of fun.” Joohyun smiled, pulling out her key. 

    “Thanks for dinner. I’ll buy us food next time.” Minho replied, walking her up to her door. Just as she was putting the key in, the door unexpectedly opened, showing her dad. 

    “Who’s thi-” Joohyun cut him off by shoving him into the house. 

    “Bye Minho! See you!” Joohyun yelled behind her, not wanting her dad to embarrass her. Turning around to face her dad, she was surprised to see her younger sister there as well. She could already hear the questions they would bombard her with, especially because she walked home alone with a dude at night. Unwilling to answer everything, she ran through the hallway to get to her room. Locking it, she threw herself on the bed. Rolling around to look at the ceiling, she couldn’t stop the smile that started. Today was a good day.