It was now past eight o’clock. Hae Jung and Kai were on their way to Hae Jung’s apartment. The streets were very lively, but not as lively as the streets of Seoul at nighttime. 

“What do you want to know?” Kai asked Hae Jung.

Hae Jung bit her lip. “Hm, well, haven’t you had any crushes?” Since Kai had asked about her crushes, she wanted to know about his.

 Kai was pondering her words. Have I had a crush before? A real crush? “I don’t think I’ve ever really had a crush,” he breathed.

“What?” Hae Jung gave out a little laugh. “But…what about So Jin?”

Kai explained, “So Jin was the one who asked me out.”

Hae Jung’s lips were shaped in an ‘o.’ “Well, then…uh, so, um, h-how does your love life work?” Hae Jung questioned hesitantly as she rubbed the back of her neck. I don’t really understand.

Kai exhaled. “Aw, Hae Jung, why do you make it seem like I’m so complicated?” There was a playful pout on his face. Hae Jung felt like he had just put her on the spot without meaning to.

“Um, sorry?” Hae Jung wore an expression of confusion.

Kai shook his head. “No, that’s okay.” Kai turned to see if the bus was coming yet or not, and he saw that the bus was far away. He faced Hae Jung once again and told her, “I just…I don’t know what’s up with my love life…do you still really want to know?”

Hae Jung gnawed on her bottom lip. Kai had studied her for so long that he had come to realize that when Hae Jung bit her lip, it meant she was either in deep thought, or she wasn’t thinking about anything at all. Kai couldn't really tell the difference because she would always look spaced out. “O-oh, um, well, I guess if you’re not comfortable with it, you don’t have to tell me, Kai.”

By then, the bus was only one bus stop away. Hae Jung stood up, and Kai imitated her action. As the bus arrived at their stop, Kai was wondering if he would continue explaining everything.

Like always, they took two spots in the back. “Hey, how many buses do we have to take?” Hae Jung wondered, staring out the window.

Kai had his eyes on her, replying, “Two more buses after this.”

Maybe it was because it was already night time, but the two were feeling safe with each other. The pair had concluded that taking the bus was now “their thing.” Normally, they took the bus alone, but now, finding another who had to take the bus alone, they travelled together quite often. They felt safer and comforted if someone was with them, and now, they had each other.

Hae Jung decided to keep shut. If Kai wanted to talk, she’d be there to listen. It was quiet for a minute or two until Kai gave in.

Hae Jung heard him sigh and turned to catch a glimpse of him, but he was already opening his mouth to speak. “I tend to just go out with girls who ask me. I ask a lot of girls out, too. I guess I just do it out of impulse. I haven’t really changed that habit since moving from Seoul.” It hurt Kai to admit it to Hae Jung. It hurt him to even admit it out loud.

“Oh.” Hae Jung’s shoulders dropped.

“Yeah,” Kai huffed, nodding his head. “And…I don’t even know how many girls I’ve been with.”

Kai didn’t expect this reaction from Hae Jung, but she always surprised him.

Hae Jung began to laugh. She found it funny that Kai didn’t even know the number of girls he’d been with, but at the same time, it upset her. She didn’t expect that he was a…player! She figured he was popular, but that thought had never crossed her mind. I shouldn’t be so surprised though.

“What’s so funny?” Kai urged, tugging at her sleeve like a little boy.

“No-nothing, I just think it’s funny that you don’t even know how many girls you’ve been with,” she stated after her laughter died down. “You’re so mean, Kai. Do you even remember their names?” She was playing with him now.

“Ye-no,” Kai smiled sadly. “I hate to admit it, but I actually don’t.” His answer caused Hae Jung to laugh once again. Kai was starting to see why she found it so funny, and he joined her.

Kai was horrible at remembering names, but he remembered Hae Jung’s because he’s never met anyone with that name. He’s met Minahs, Jiyoungs, Soojungs, and the list goes on, but Hae Jung has been the first.

“I’ve never had a crush on someone before though,” Kai added. Some people had given them looks as they laughed, so the two quieted down. “I think. I’ve only had attractions to girls, but they always come up to me.”

“So, there’s no one you’ve ever, like, admired from, hm, afar?”

Kai shook his head. “I guess not.” He was looking down at his lap, but he could feel Hae Jung’s eyes on him. He took his eyes off of his folded hands. A feeling of nervousness flooded his nerves as he met eyes with Hae Jung.

She gave him a teasing look. “That’s not good. You’ve never had a crush on someone…well, I guess that makes sense.”

“And why is that?” Kai cocked an eyebrow.

Hae Jung was looking outside the window again. Her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to put her thoughts into words. “Well, I mean…you’re attractive and handsome, I won’t lie. And it seems like the girls would be, uh, throwing themselves at you…? R-rather than you, you know, throwing yourself at them,” Hae Jung attempted to explain without stuttering, but wasn’t successful.

A short laugh escaped Kai’s lips. “I guess you’re right.”

They got off at the following bus stop, catching their next bus not long after. Hae Jung trusted that Kai was bringing her in the right direction for she didn’t recognize her surroundings.

This bus ride was quiet for them even though they still had one last bus to take. They were both deep in thought. Hae Jung was trying to understand Kai a little more, trying to make some sense out of his frivolous ways. Kai, on the other hand, kept telling himself to stop feeling so nervous and guilty for confessing all of this to Hae Jung. He expected her to take it much worse and to question everything, but she didn’t. Hae Jung didn’t see why she needed to ask any more questions except one more.

“Why do you go out with so many girls, Kai?” she asked when they finally hopped onto their last bus. Kai was seating next to the window, watching everything go by.

Kai sunk in his seat, adding a shrug. “I don’t know. Isn’t it better to try a lot of things than to not try at all?”

Hae Jung blinked twice. She looked at him, but his eyes were not focused on her. “Um, sure…wait, are you insulting me? Because I’ve never had a boyfriend-”

“No, I’m not trying to insult you, Hae Jung,” he chuckled. “That’s just how I am. I’m trying to look for a girl, and how can I do that if I don’t talk and interact with them?”

Hae Jung continued to blink aimlessly. Kai finally laid eyes on her. There was a blank expression on her face that he just couldn’t laugh at. She looked up at him after hearing him laugh. “What?”

The bus pulled up at their last stop. Kai jumped onto his feet, and Hae Jung did the same. When they stepped off the bus, they turned around to see Hae Jung’s apartment across the street. They crossed the road, dragging their feet.

“I’ll see you around then, Kai,” Hae Jung said, taking hold of the door handle. She was about to pull it, but Kai had one or two more things to share.

“Sorry it wasn’t very interesting.”

“What wasn’t interesting?” Hae Jung questioned. Her hand slipped off of the handle as she turned around.

“I didn’t have much to say about, uh, my love life…” His sentence came out more like a question. Kai rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.

Hae Jung grinned reassuringly. “Nah, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t all that uninteresting.”

Kai returned the smile. Hae Jung was about to grab the door handle again, but Kai, once more, had another thing to say.

“I guess…I’m just trying to look for a flawless girl. A perfect girl.”

Hae Jung gave him a weak smile. “But no one’s perfect. So, good luck.”

With that, she pulled the door handle and went back inside.

Good luck…Hae Jung’s words rung in his head. He had forgotten about what he wanted with Hae Jung in the beginning, but those thoughts disappeared. They fled from his mind. He didn’t want her as another girl to play with anymore. Maybe, he had finally given into their friendship.

A/N: Hi :) How's, um, summer going? I've been REALLY unproductive lately...I need to update all my other fics, but I'm a little wrapped up with this. Um, yeah. So, I think the next chapter will be more, uh, happy? Fluffy? I don't know, lol...we'll see. Blah, I feel like my story's getting a little boring, so I'll try to spice it up...? lol, so look forward to it :) So, anyway, comment and subscribe if you haven't :3 Have a wonderful day and thank you for reading!