That night, I set my iPhone to wake me up at six.

The next morning I'm awakened by the loud shrill of my alarm clock. I don't allow myself any time to be tired. I jump straight out of bed and run to the bathroom. After waiting for the water to heat up, I take a quick shower and towel dry my thick hair, sighing in annoyance as some of the red dye comes off onto my white towel. I ignore it for the time being and style my hair into a small faux hawk.

After making a mental note to change the hair dye brand that I use, I make my way to the large closet in my bedroom, opening the sliding door and surveying all of the potential outfits. What do you wear when you want to impress someone?

I try on at least four outfits until I find something suitable.

Tight grey sweats rolled up to my calves with a blue and white striped v-neck, and some dog tags. A look I immediately deem "Casual and cute without looking like you're trying too hard." I give myself a once over in the full length mirror and smile. Perfect.

When I walk downstairs, I see something completely unexpected. My dad's at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. When he sees me walk in, he looks up from his newspaper and stares down at my outfit, his mouth forming a tight line of silent disapproval. I ignore his judgmental stare and go to the fridge, taking out multiple fruits for a fruit salad.

"Dad, what are you doing home? Don't you have work today?" I ask casually, starting the task of cutting the fruit into small pieces. He looks at his watch and stands up. "My company called everyone into work an hour later than usual. I should be leaving soon, though." I nod and continue cutting.

I watch my father write something on a notepad out of the corner of my eye. He sets it down on the counter next to me without an explanation. I stare at it, then at him. "What is this?" I finally ask, making no attempt to pick it up.

"You've met Jiho, haven't you?" He asks. I nod with a smile. "Yeah, we've kinda been talking for the past few days. He's nice," I comment admiringly. My dad stops and stares at me scornfully. I pretend not to notice.

He quickly regains his composure and points to the list. "This is a list of things he needs to know. Give this to him once he shows up." He walks towards the door but stops at the entrance. "And I don't want you talking to Jiho. You're a distraction to him while he's working." And with that, he picks up his suitcase and leaves. I scoff, rolling my eyes and blinking back tears of annoyance. It's definitely not a good feeling to have your dad judge you for everything you do.

---

At about 6:50, there's a knock at the door. I grab the notepad and take a deep breath at the hallway entrance. Smoothing my shirt back over my hips, I swing the door open and come face to face with a very surprised looking Zico.

"Oh! You scared me!" He exclaims with a smile, setting his hand over his heart. "I didn't expect anyone to actually open the door!" I hold the door open for him and he walks through with a smile and a nod.

"My dad left for work a while ago. He left this for you," I say, handing him the notepad. I notice that when he reads, he moves the paper close to his face and furrows his eyebrows. Once he registers the content of the note, his expression brightens drastically. "Oh, good!" He says happily. He folds the paper in half and holds it against his chest. When he stares back at me, he looks incredibly relieved. "I'm so glad he wrote this. I kept forgetting the code to the back gate, so whenever I left the backyard, the gate would close by itself and I had to call your dad to give me the code!" I laugh and he smiles sheepishly, nudging me in the side with his elbow. "It's not funny! He got pissed when I called him at work!" He lets out a chuckle of his own, despite his words.

Zico sets the paper down and fully looks at me for the first time today. The way he stares at me from head to toe, taking in every detail, makes me happy. I'm not sure why, but it does. "You look cute," he says lightly, touching my dog tags and letting them slip through his fingers. I'm almost positive he notices the blush creeping across my cheeks, and the smile that I'm desperately trying to suppress. "Are you going on a date or something?"

I chuckle and shake my head. "No. I'm hanging out with you today."

"Oh, really?" He looks both surprised and pleased. I walk to the counter and grab my forgotten fruit salad. "Sure. What are you working on?"

"Your mom told me she needed me to plant some new flowers." I nod and follow him into the backyard.

---

I sit in the grass in a shady area, watching Zico dig small holes in the moist soil. It's amusing to see such a rough looking guy handle flowers so delicately. I don't hesitate to tell him this. He throws his head back as he laughs, and a dimple appears in his left cheek. Being out here with Zico is fun. It makes me happy.

As he shares with me the secrets of reviving dying flowers, finding the best soil to use, and the meanings behind different types of plants, I watch the way he speaks with such fondness, carefully packing the soil around each budding flower. I kind of admire him in a way. His strength, his personality, and his gentle side all make him an amazing person to be around.

I start to realize that what my dad said doesn't bother me as much as it originally did. I don't need my dad making me feel guilty for things I shouldn't feel guilty for. I don't want to stop hanging out with Zico. I like him. And as much as I deny it, I know that my attraction towards him runs a little bit deeper than just a desire for friendship.