Two years later . . .

“Hae Rin! Your friends are here!” Lee called from the bottom of the staircase.

Hae Rin ran downstairs. “I’ll be back around ten o’clock, okay, Appa?” she said to her father. She hugged and kissed her dad before running outside to her friends.

“Have fun, birthday girl!” Lee called before closing the door and going off to some work.

Later that night at Boo Yee’s house, Hae Rin had just finished unwrapping the presents her friends had gotten for her.

“Thank you, Minho, for the new laptop bag,” she said, beaming. She turned to her best friend. “Thank you, for the charm bracelet.” She hugged the two of them.

“I’ll be right back,” Minho said and he went downstairs.

Hae Rin stared after him. “Where’s he going?” she asked Boo Yee, who just smiled and shrugged.

Minho soon returned — with a cake! “A birthday is never complete without a cake,” he declared, coming inside the room carefully so he does not trip and let the cake fall.

“Awww, you guys are so sweet,” Hae Rin crooned, obviously touched as Minho set the cake down on Boo Yee’s study table.

“Make a wish, bestie,” Boo Yee whispered into her ear.

Hae Rin closed her eyes and blew out the candles after making her silent wish. “I am all done,” she told them.

“Well,” Boo Yee said, hardly able to contain her excitement. She looked at Minho, who smiled back because he knew what was going to happen next. “We have one more surprise, but you’ll have to go to the balcony.”

Hae Rin raised an eyebrow at that. “Balcony? You’re not planning to sabotage me or anything . . . are you?” she asked wearily.

Boo Yee giggled. “Of course not, silly! Now go, go, go!”

Minho laughed at his girlfriend’s enthusiasm but he too was happy and couldn’t contain himself either, knowing about the surprise that awaits her.

“Um, okay.” She went to the balcony with her friends following close behind.

Key was just outside, downstairs and began strumming his guitar as he looked up at Hae Rin.

“You, you like driving on a Sunday

You, you like taking off on Monday

You, you’re like a dream

A dream come true

I, was just a face you never noticed

And I, I’m just trying to be honest with myself

With you

With the world

You might think

That I’m a fool for falling over you

So tell me what can I do to prove to you?

That it’s not so hard to do

Give love a try one more time

’Cause you know that I’m on your side

Give love a try, one more time.”

Hae Rin left the balcony without saying anything and disappeared.

Key stopped playing, hurt, as he stood there. “Where’d she go?”

The couple upstairs shrugged helplessly, just as bewildered as he was. Where could Hae Rin possibly have gone to during his performance?

Hae Rin walked out of the front door and threw her arms around Key. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Key shrugged, smiling as he hugged her back. “I heart it was my best friend’s twentieth birthday, so I flew in and surprised her.”

Hae Rin smiled. “Awww.”

“And also because I wanted to ask you something,” he went on.

“What’s that?”

Little raindrops started to fall.

Key took a deep breath and decided to go for it. “We never got to go on a date like the dumb-dumb lovebirds up there —” he started.

“We can hear you!” Minho shouted from up above them and they could hear Boo Yee giggled.

“Oh, leave them be, Minho Oppa,” she said affectionately as she hugged him and he hugged her back. “Let them have a moment.”

Key shook his head. “Guys, will you let me finish?” he asked.

“Sorry!” the two of them called.

He chuckled and Hae Rin giggled. “So where was I?” he asked.

“You said we never went on a proper date,” Hae Rin reminded him.

“Ah, yes.” Key nodded. “Anyway, we never went on a date because my tour started, and ever since we left, I’ve been anxious to tell you that I really, really like you, Hae Rin.” He looked right at her in the eye. “As in, I may even love you. That song I sang, I wrote for you. . . . Will you be my girlfriend?”

The rain started to pour harder, soaking them in process.

Hae Rin stared at him, thunderstruck. She had no idea this was coming. “Key, I . . . I don’t know how to say it right.” She took a deep breath herself. “So I’ll just say it: I think I love you too.” She smiled. “And yes, I would love to be your girlfriend!”

“Yes!” Key hugged Hae Rin, spinning her around in the rain, and then put her down. “I have something for you,” he said, pulling out a silver necklace, placing it on her.”

“Key, I love it!”

Up on the balcony, Minho took off his shirt and pretended to offer Boo Yee the shirt as a present, but Boo Yee just gave him a withering look. Minho pouted and Boo Yee giggled as he pulled her in his arms, leaning forward . . .

“I should probably do this now,” Key said from downstairs, leaning forward to Hae Rin.

The two couples’ lips met their companion as the rain poured, under the moon; one on the balcony and the other on the front porch . . .