the second. 1594 words.

Wonwoo’s spent nearly half an hour in front of the mirror before Mingyu feels the need to jump in.

"You look fine. Pick the white t-shirt with the denim jeans or the leather jacket with the blue shirt. We’ve been here for literally hours. It's not like you're picking her up for prom.”

The cast party was set for ten p.m. and Wonwoo had frantically called Mingyu and Jeonghan over at eight, distressing over his inevitable run-in with Sohye.

(I can’t show up looking like this, he’d said over the phone, though neither of the two could pinpoint exactly what was wrong with this.)

"Yeah, but don't you think the leather jacket is too much? Or is it just right? I mean, it does make me look cooler…”

"For heaven’s sake, Wonwoo, yes, go with the jacket. I'm sure it'll stop everyone in their tracks as soon as you set foot in that party. Sohye will be knocked off her feet from the sheer class with which you strut on to the…” Jeonghan’s met with a pillow thrown at his forehead before he can finish his sentence.

"Haha, very funny. But you've got a point.” Wonwoo picks up the jacket from the sizeable pile of clothes that have found their way out of his closet in the last hour. “I think we're done.”

Mingyu jumps up before Wonwoo can change his mind. “Great. I'll drive.”

◇◆◇

They pull up to Park Jinyoung’s house half past ten. Cast as Romeo, Wonwoo had heard about how rich his family was from the others in tech crew. Apparently his father was some hotshot producer in the drama business and his mother had been an A-list actress before retiring to take care of her kids.  Even so, Wonwoo can't quite wrap his head around the three-storied mansion they were currently parked in front of.

Mingyu lets out a low whistle.

Jeonghan checks his phone to make sure it’s the right address. “This is it.”

Wonwoo is the first to get out of the car, with Jeonghan following close behind and Mingyu flanking him on the right. Stringed lights line the stairs leading from the perfectly manicured lawn to the door. Music blasts from speakers inside, loud enough for Wonwoo to momentarily forget about the anxious knot sitting in the pit of his stomach.

Mingyu rings the bell and five seconds later a beaming Jinyoung greets them. “Hey guys! Come on in. There's food and drinks over in the kitchen. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Jeonghan beelines for the snacks without sparing a glance for the other two. Mingyu is about to do the same before he spots a tipsy Chaeyeon sitting on the couch. “Come along,” he pulls Wonwoo by the arm.

"Mingyu!” Chaeyeon exclaims in delight. She stands up quickly on shaky legs, nearly falling over before Mingyu swoops in and snakes his arm around her waist.

Wonwoo can't help but smirk at the sudden blush creeping across Mingyu’s cheeks as the two remain frozen in spot. Chaeyeon blinks twice and straightens while Mingyu coughs inadvertently.

"Are you okay?”

"Yeah. Thanks, um… for that.”

Wonwoo is seconds away from pulling out his phone to try and discreetly capture the rare occurrence that was a speechless and blushing Kim Mingyu when Sohye appears.

"Chaeyeon, I've been looking all over for you!” She notices Wonwoo and a wave of recognition crosses her face, dissipating the previous expression of concern. “Wonwoo, hey! And Mingyu, was it? I'm Sohye.”

The glee he'd been reveling in seconds earlier is overtaken by the return of the knot in his stomach. Mingyu responds first and the two exchange pleasantries, giving Wonwoo the time to figure out how to properly speak.

Sohye turns to Chaeyeon. “I'm gonna go get you some water. Mingyu, would you mind sitting with her for a bit?”

"Sure.” He sits down next to Chaeyeon and Sohye’s on the way to the kitchen when Wonwoo musters up the courage to stop her.

"Wait! I'll come with you.”

Sohye makes no motion to turn around and he realizes she hasn't heard him over the music. Just his goddamn luck. He swallows hard and awkwardly jogs over to her side, tapping her on the shoulder.

She turns in surprise but smiles when she sees Wonwoo sheepishly standing beside her.

The two make their way across the crowded living room to the kitchen, weaving through the groups of slightly drunk college students. Inside, Jeonghan is leaning against the counter, munching on a potato chip.

"Oh hey, you two. Sohye,” he gives her a nod. Pausing as if in thought, he flashes a grin, “I think Seungcheol was looking for me.” He grabs the bowl of chips, winking at Wonwoo before leaving the kitchen.

Suddenly, Wonwoo is acutely aware of the fact that they’re alone. He feels his mouth dry up at the prospect of having to fill the silence. Like always, though, Sohye speaks first.

"So, Wonwoo. We’re in the same English class, right?”

"Yeah.” He mentally berates himself for not being able to come up with anything else to say.

Sohye looks up from the refrigerator and chuckles. “You don't talk much, do you?”

A few seconds pass as Sohye grabs a water bottle from the refrigerator and they head back to the living room. She’s about to approach Chaeyeon when they find both Mingyu and Chaeyeon deep in conversation.

("Are you joking? The whole concept of a superhuman is bull and purely science fiction fodder!”)

("Ha, Nietzsche and his Übermensch would beg to differ.”)

Chaeyeon is sitting with her legs crossed and inches away from Mingyu’s, though neither seems to notice, too engrossed in the discussion at hand. Sohye glances pointedly at Wonwoo with a hint of mischief in her chocolate eyes. (Sparkling, Wonwoo might add.) She slips the bottled water on the side table.

"On second thought, I might just leave this here. Those two really hit it off after that coffee date, huh?”

"Sure seems that way, doesn't it?” Wonwoo makes a mental note to tease Mingyu about it later.

◇◆◇

Sohye, Wonwoo learns, loves talking about nothing and everything. And, to no one's surprise, Wonwoo doesn't mind listening. She speaks as if she's known him for years, complaining about the coffee she spilled on herself this morning and the twenty page bio lab she still hasn't started. It starts at the cast party, when they find themselves sitting together until the early hours of the morning, conveniently losing track of time under the pretense of ensuring that their friends don't drink too much. She tells him all about her life, and if it were anyone else, Wonwoo would find it overwhelming. It had only been a few days since they'd first spoken, after all. But not with Sohye. He rather likes how she's got so much to tell.

At the end of the party, when he's fumbling for the right words, she laughs and enters her number into his phone first.

And so it goes. During English class the next day, she waves him over to her seat and he sits down next to her. (Not before Mingyu elbows him in the side and Jeonghan wiggles his eyebrows.) They end up walking across campus to her next class, despite the fact that Wonwoo has to marathon-run back to make it in time for his other class in the English building -- something that he fails to mention to Sohye. In this way, the scorching heat of summer turns into the crunch of autumn leaves under their feet.

It's on one of these days, with her talking and him listening, that he takes the leap into uncharted territory.

They’re sitting alone in the empty lecture hall, hours after the last class has ended. Sohye chooses to forget that she has plans and Wonwoo does the same. With the late afternoon light streaming through the window panes, Wonwoo sits with his elbow propped up on the desk and his chin resting on his palm. Sohye’s telling him about the one time she met this famous badminton player on a trip with the birdwatching club and though Wonwoo’s been listening, he zones out every few minutes and focuses on the way the sun hits her face instead.

"And could you believe he was there for the ornithology convention, too? I mean, talk about the perfect guy…”

Gosh, she’s got a beautiful nose.

"Wonwoo, are you even listening to me?”

He lifts his elbow off the table. “Of course I am.”

"Yeah, right.” Her cherry lips pout slightly as her cheeks puff outwards in feigned anger and Wonwoo has to resist the urge to kiss her right then and there.

Instead, he grins at her serious expression and she devolves into giggles seconds later. And then, her brown eyes (that look a bit hazel in the sunlight) are looking straight at him and he figures now is as good a time as any.

"Sohye?”

"Hmm?”

"Would you… Maybe, want to go out for dinner sometime?” He clears his throat. “With me, I mean?”

A few seconds of silence follow his words and Wonwoo feels his heart stop in anticipation.

But then she's smiling from ear to ear, leaning towards him and pressing her lips to his. Though it's only for a second and she's pulling away before he registers the taste of her lips, she leaves him breathless.

"I would love to go out for dinner with you sometime, Jeon Wonwoo.”

It's no Shakespearean confession but Wonwoo thinks it'll do.

Yes, it'll do just fine.