All it took was one box of Snickerdoodles for Choi Sooyoung to ‘fall in love’ with him.

                That fateful day was a chilly Monday morning back in fourth grade. His name was Wu Fan, a Chinese-Canadian boy who moved to Seoul from Vancouver because of his mother’s new work. He was rather really a tall for his age, had jet black hair and a striking face. He wasn’t as fluent in Korean when he first came to Seoul and he therefore kept to himself in school. Sometimes, he was seen with another Chinese boy, Luhan.

                Wu Fan had come to that school that day; a rare smile present on his face and a tin box in his grasp. His mother had surprised him with a box of Snickerdoodles that morning before going to school. It made him miss home that was on the other side of the globe. He often ate them back then. Wu Fan strode over to his desk – the one on the far corner of the room nearest the windows – and sat down; his prized box of cookies finding its place on his table.

                He slowly pried the lid off the box and soon, the delicious, aromatic smell of sugar, cinnamon and butter combined reached him. Wu Fan beamed, loving his mother more than he already did. No matter what happened that day, it’d always be a good day… because of the box that had his Snickerdoodles. He excitedly picked one cookie out and stared at it; the smile still firmly fixed on his face. Wu Fan was about to take a bite when a body of a tall, lanky girl blocked his view of the blackboard.

                Her name was Choi Sooyoung; a classmate of his who often hung out with the much older students… like Kim Heechul, for example. She was a tomboyish girl with long limbs and dark brown locks cascading down her shoulders. If he hadn’t known better, he wouldn’t believe that she was a Korean; her tanner than usual complexion being his primary reason. Wu Fan looked up at her – cookie still in hand – and his jaw nearly dropped. Sooyoung was sporting the most puppy-like eyes and matching pout as she stood before him. What the…?

                Wu Fan had opened his mouth to ask what she needed when he noticed it – noticed where her eyes were laid on. He followed her line of vision and it led him to the cookie he held between his fingers. He wasn’t quite sure if he really did figure it out but he still held out his hand, silently offering the Snickerdoodle to his classmate.

                The smile that crossed her face was so brilliant that he forgot that it was rude to stare. He hadn’t even noticed that she had plucked the cookie from his fingers. Sooyoung took an excited bite and moaned in appreciation as she swallowed the buttery, sugary goodness that was the Snickerdoodle. Wu Fan wasn’t quite sure why but he got one more cookie and handed it to her, watching as the already wide smile on her face blossomed even more. Sooyoung squealed in happiness as she took the cookie with her free hand, suddenly giddy that she had two of those heavenly confections.

In fact, she was giddy enough to lean forward and press a kiss on his forehead.

                Wu Fan stood as still as a rock; his eyes wide at the action. Sooyoung didn’t seem to realize what exactly she had done. She was far too busy marvelling at the Snickerdoodles in her hands. Wu Fan could only guess that his favourite cookie wasn’t something common in Korea… Right, that was the reason for the sudden outburst. After all, he couldn’t blame her. Those cookies were to die for, really.

“I-I… Uh…” Wu Fan hated how he wasn’t fluent enough in Korean. “If you want more, you can always get again.”

“Really?” Her eyes brightened like Christmas lights. But as per usual, the teacher had to be a buzz-kill and entered the room right at that moment. “Thank you, Wu Fan-ah! I love you! You’re awesome! Your cookies are awesome.”

With that, she scrambled back to her seat, hurriedly munching on her two cookies.

Wu Fan stared at her, stunned into silence yet again.

So that’s how it felt like to be on the receiving end of an ‘I love you’

Slowly but surely, one of his rare, genuine smiles crossed his face.

He should ask his mother to bake more.