"What are you doing?"

You ask in bewilderment as Soo Jin leads you to a quieter part of the street.


Glancing around to make sure there's no prying eyes, she answers, "This."  then shuts her eyes in concentration.

You register a faint glow emitting from her entire body. The next minute you know, a handsome male is standing in place of your friend.

You gawk as you behold the strange sight.


Long midnight lashes flutter open to reveal the classic doe eyes you immediately recognize. His lips look even fuller and plumpy, set against milky skin and sharp jawlines. His hair is black like Soo-Jin's, but short and clean cut like that of a very well-groomed boy. The features are, technically, still very Soo Jin, but everything just screams pure masculinity.

His dark, thick eyebrows knit into a frown as he speaks, "Do... Do I look ok?"


You feel a quiver run through your body.

The voice has a nice, deep timbre and you are struck speechless at how it seems to touch a chord in your very soul.


"_________ ?" He calls your name hesitantly.

You sense that he is getting a bit self-conscious.


"Soo-Soo Jin?" You croak, finally finding your vocal chords.


"Y-Yeah. How do I look?"

That rich, melodious voice rings out again and you admit, you swoon a little from the tune of it.


"Wow." You blink, still coming to terms with the reality of the situation.

"You look... Fantastic."

The male just lets out a modest smile.

"Thanks."


"No, really." Your voice gains confidence as you take in the stunning transformation. "You look really really handsome and..."

You twirl him around.

"Wow... It's just... Completely awesome."


He laughs again.

"Thank you." He nods and with another grin,

"So, shall we go for our dinner now?"


"Yes! Of course!"

You turn to lead the way but swings back to face him again.

"So... " You give him another once-over. "What do I call you now?"


His lips curl into a heart-shaped smile.

"Kyungsoo. You can just call me Kyungsoo."


_______________________


The two of you settle down comfortably in the quaint, cosy restaurant. The concrete wall is decorated with scenic wall murals, a small bar counter sits at the corner where servers flit to every now and then to retrieve an order. Red and white checkered old-fashioned table cloths lined the 15 or so tables and on the other side of the wall, large, glass windows overlooks the busy street.

The moment you flip open the menu, however, you are caught by the slightly high end prices.


"Do... You think this is a good idea? It's pretty expensive." You whisper to Soo Jin, who is now Kyungsoo.

"Well, we can always clean their dishes together." He cackles.

"Ha ha. Very funny." You give a dry laugh.


"There's always the contest you can join later, dinner will be free then."

Both of you jolt at the waiter who has silently crept up between you two.

"Contest?" Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow.


"Yes! On the last friday of every month, there'll be a contest for the best couple in our restaurant. The winner will get a small token and a treat from the house. It's quite popular with our customers, and seeing that the two of you look so good together..." The waiter's glance fleet between the two of you and you feel yourself blush. "I'd say your chances of winning are pretty high."

"O-k... " Kyungsoo feels himself flushing as well, sneaking a glimpse at you before he queries again. "How does it work, actually?"


"The participating couples will draw lots for their stipulated challenge. Once the task is completed, it's up to the other diners in the restaurant to decide which couple is the best. Usually good looking couples like yourselves get a lot of votes. So, are you two interested in participating? There's already two couples in the game, we'll be starting in 15 minutes time."


"Erm..." Kyungsoo hesitates as he looks at you.

"Can you... Give us a minute?" You implore the waiter.

"Sure!" He replies sunnily and adds, "And the tasks are really simple, there's nothing to worry about" before sashaying away.


"Do you... Want to do it?"

You lean closer to Kyungsoo and ask nervously.

"Do you?"

"I- I dunno. What will they make us do?"

You are a little worried.


"He says the tasks are simple. I'll do it so you don't have to. Or do you want to just... forget it?"

His eyes are earnest as he peers into yours.

You feel yourself melting a little into the gaze... Wait. What?


"But... Are we sure? Do you wanna do this?"

"I don't see why not? It sounds interesting enough. We can always back out and help wash dinner plates at the end of the day."

He shrugs, a mischevious glint in his eyes.




Usually, you will opt to back out in situations like these.

Usually, you will scoff at the absurdity of senseless games.

And more often than not, you find it easier to say "No" than "Yes".


But now, with Kyungsoo giving you a gamed look and heck, it's free dinner at stake here.

You find yourself saying a quiet, "Ok".