I’m sorry,” Hae Rin said quickly. “He was just asking about something.”

“So?” her brother sneered disbelievingly. “I don’t like it when you don’t follow orders, unless this boy is your boyfriend.”

“He —”

“And don’t lie, saying ‘Key’ is a girl or whatever because I know that was a boy!” he went on, pointing an accused finger toward her direction. “So, now, what did he ask you? And don’t lie!” He grabbed her wrist and twisted it.

Hae Rin winced in pain as she tried to ease the pain down, but no such luck. “H – He asked me . . . if I – I want to go to Super Junior’s concert t – this S – Saturday . . .”

Jonghyun only twisted her wrist tighter. “Who is this boy?”

She started crying from the pain. “It’s Kim Kibum from the SM Entertainment . . .”

He arched an eyebrow. “Oh, he’s a new trainee at SM, huh? The entertainment place in charge of SNSD and Super Junior and such?

Hae Rin nodded.

“What did you say?” he asked, letting go of her wrist.

“I – I told him t – that I’d asked y – you first,” she stammered, wiping her tears.

He pondered over it. “Well, then, you can go,” he said finally. “As long as you don’t tell him anything about what I do to you.”

She looked up, hopeful. “Chincha?”

He nodded. “But don’t get used to me being all nice,” he said. “I’m just doing this because you made me some good dinner. Now get back to your homework then bed. And remember, no calls.” He left the room.

She sighed and rubbed her still painful wrist. She bandaged it, thinking to herself: At least I’ll have some fun on Saturday . . .

The next day, the girls and the boys found out that they had three classes together: trigonometry, biology and P.E.

During biology, Mr. Im said, “Okay, class, open your cook book to page fifteen. We’ll be learning about our blood types. I will give you lancets and mini blades to prick yourself. Just like this.” He took a student’s finger and pricked it just enough for a little blood to come out.

“I’m think I’m gonna be sick,” Hae Rin and Boo Yee moaned quietly.

“After you have pricked your finger,” Mr. Im was saying to the class, oblivious to them, “put a little of your blood on the lancet and we’ll figure out each other’s blood type.”

Key noticed the girls’ faces and nudged Minho, who was sitting next to him. “Dude, the girls look a little pale. Wanna go ask if they’re okay?”

Minho looked over and saw what he meant. He nodded. “Neh.”

Key turned and whispered to Hae Rin, “Hae Rin, you two okay? You guys look a little pale.”

“Boo Yee and I faint or go weak at the sight of blood,” Hae Rin answered, but almost barely. She was feeling all nauseated.

Boo Yee, next to her, was seeing ‘green’, which means she was going to faint soon.

Minho raised his hand. “Um, Im seongsaeng-nim?”

“Yes, Mr. Choi?”

“Boo Yee and Hae Rin look quite pale,” he said. “Can Key and I take them to the infirmary to make sure that they are okay?”

Mr. Im looked to where the girls were and saw their pale faces. He sighed, taking off her glasses. He rubbed his eyes wearily. “Yes, you may,” he answered. “Girls, I’ll excuse you from this lesson; same for you boys.”

The two boys hurriedly took the girls out of the biology classroom and to the infirmary before either of them could pass out.

The nurse looked up and saw the girls’ pale faces. “Oh, goodness,” she said, immediately knowing what caused this situation. “Blood type lesson, huh?”

Boo Yee managed to utter out, “Uh-huh.”

“I should get back,” Hae Rin said weakly, clutching her stomach. She looked really queasy and seemed no fit to get back to class.

“But you’ll faint,” Minho, Boo Yee and Key answered in unison.

The nurse nodded. “Oh, they’re right, missy.”

“I can’t afford missing any classes this year,” she explained and went back to the classroom before anyone else could protest.

Key was sad. He wanted to spend some time with her before the concert.He turned to Boo Yee “Does she have strict parents?” he asked.

Boo Yee shrugged. “I have never met her parents,” she said quietly. “I guess they are.” Boo Yee felt like kicking herself. Some best friend she was! She doesn’t even know half about Hae Rin’s life! Seriously?

Minho decided to put Boo Yee out of the spot. Turning to Key, he asked, “So, Key, you said you were gonna ask us something?”

Key nodded, remembering. “Uh, yeah. We have a show this Saturday,” he explained. “Wanna come? I’ve got front row tickets and backstage passes.”

“Sure,” Minho said, nodding.

“Totally,” Boo Yee agreed. “Have you asked Hae Rin?”

Key cheered up at that, remembering the call. “She said yes. So, on Saturday, my bros and I will pick you three up at . . . where?” He realize that he had not planned this at all. He cursed silently to himself for not thinking.

“What about my house?” she suggested.

“Yeah, I’ll just drive there and leave my car there,” Minho added, nodding.

Key was relieved that an answer had come up so fast. “So, we’ll pick you up at Boo Yee’s house . . . which is where?”

“Three blocks from here,” she answered. “Eighty-first street, first white house.”

“Got it.”

And though they didn’t know, Minho made a mental check to remember her house address. Just then, he saw two guys walking past the nurse’s office. “Are those your friends?”

Key poked his head out the door. “Taemin! Onew hyung!” he called out to them. “Over here! Not there, babo! Here!”

The two guys turned around and entered the nurse’s room.

“Minho, Boo Yee, Taemin and Onew,” Key said, gesturing to his friends.

“Hey, Minho-sshi,” Taemin said, beaming. “I heard that you’re going to join SM soon.” He gave Minho a high-five. “Welcome!”

“Kamsahamnida,” Minho replied. “But I’ve seen you guys appeared on a couple of concert from SM, so you guys aren’t too shabby.” He grinned.

“Onew here, at your service,” Onew said, giving a little bow with that usual, friendly smile. “Nice to meet you both.”

“He likes chicken,” Taemin said at random and Onew darted an evil look toward his direction. He just titled his head and gave him an eye smile.

Disgusted by his shamelessness, Onew rolled his eyes and looked away.

“Park Boo Yee,” Boo Yee introduced and they smiled plesantly at the girl in front of them. “What classes do you guys have now?”

Taemin and Onew showed her two papers of their schedule.

“Hmmm,” Boo Yee said. “Taemin-sshi, you have to go down the hall and to the left, first door. And Onew-sshi, your class is right next door.”

Taemin grinned, taking the paper back. “Kamsa. And, please just Taemin.” He left.

Onew nodded after Taemin. “Well, I gotta go, too. Thanks! Like that brat, just Onew Oppa.”

“And those are my friends – or brothers, as I would call them,” Key said once they were gone. “I better get back to class.” He walked back to biology.

“Hey, um, Boo Yee?” Minho asked just as Boo Yee headed for the door. “Do you wanna go see a movie tonight?”

Boo Yee smiled. “Sure.”

He smiled back. “I’ll come around seven-fifteen, then,” he said.

Later that night at Boo Yee’s house, Boo Yee was wondering how to ask her parents that she had a date that night.

Her parents were in the living room, reading newspapers.

“Umma, Appa?” she said, coming in the living room. She sat on the opposite couch. “Is it okay if I hung out with a friend tonight?” She was careful not to say ‘boy’ nor ‘date’.

“And who is this friend?” her father asked, putting down the newspaper he was reading.

She was stumped. She can’t lie to save her life. “Well . . .” She took a deep breath and decided to tell them the truth. “His name is Minho. Choi Minho.”

Mrs. Park smiled at her. “Sure, jagi,” she replied and she was stunned. “It’s time you had your first date.”

If Boo Yee wasn’t confused a moment ago, she was now. “But I thought I wasn’t allowed to date until I was eighteen . . .”

“Well,” her mother said slowly, “your father and I discussed earlier that it was time you started dating. Plus, I know Minho’s family. He’s a nice boy.”

“Nice family, too,” Mr. Park contributed, not lifting his head up from the papers.

“So can I go?”

Mr. and Mrs. Park nodded yes.

Boo Yee squealed in delight. “Gomawo!!” she said, repeating it over and over again. She ran upstairs to change.

Fifteen minutes later, she was wearing a black two-layer skirt, a white T-shirt with a crest design and a pair of black gladiator sandals.

Soon there was a knock on her door. “Minho’s here,” her dad called.

Boo Yee straightened up her skirt before going down. “Hey, Minho Oppa,” she said, smiling.

Minho looked at her up and down, blushing. “Wow, Boo Yee. Yeppeohya. . . .”

Boo Yee blushed, too. “Gomawo.”

“You kids better go,” Mr. Park said, checking the time from the wall clock. “Minho, please return her by curfew.”

Boo Yee went to stand beside Minho. “Appa,” she said, making a face.

“I’ll return her by ten o’clock, Mr. Park,” Minho promised, flashing his awesome smile.

“Bye, you two,” Mr. Park said, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry about my dad,” Boo Yee said, blushing, as they walked to his car.

Minho smiled and shrugged. “He’s quite cool,” he replied. “Oh, and by the way, you’re cute when you blush.” He took her hand.

She looked shyly at him. “You asked my parents to take me out on a date, didn’t you?”

He lifted up his hands in surrender. “You caught me,” he said, laughing. He went back to holding her hand. “Why? Don’t you want to go on a date with me?” he asked, opening the car door.

She blushed again as she slid into the front passenger seat. “Thanks.”

He closed the door and slid into the driver’s seat. “So . . . you like scary movies?”

After they got out of the car, they walked to the theater.

“‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Madagascar 3’, ‘Brave’, or ‘The Dark Knight Rises’?” Minho asked for movie selection.

Boo Yee thought about it for a while. “Well, I haven’t watched Madagascar yet.”

“Then Madagascar we shall watch,” he announced, walking over to the counter while holding tightly onto her hand.

Boo Yee was happy.

“Two tickets to Madagascar, please,” he asked the counter girl.

The counter girl saw him and gasped. “You’re Choi Minho! Omo! Uh, yeah. Two tickets.” She printed two tickets and handed them over to Minho, who took the tickets and gave her the ten dollar bill.

“Thank you very much for your good service, he said, smiling.

He and Boo Yee walked to the refreshments counter and bought a bucket of popcorn and two sodas for them to enjoy while watching the show.

“You want anything else?” he asked.

She smiled and shook her head, touched that he was being so sweet. “I think this should be enough,” she replied.

So in they went to their seats in the cinema as they waited for the movie to start.