"Myungsoo! I thought you promised it would be purely platonic!" Jaekyung mumbled weakly as she struggled out of L's grip.

L chuckled softly and let her go reluctantly. "For your information, Miss Lee Jaekyung sshi, friends can hug too. And I'm going to do that a lot tonight so watch out." He wriggled his brows.

Jaekyung rolled her eyes and bit back a smile. L beamed, bursting with excitement that he finally got time with her alone. Finally finally finally!!

He took her hand, ignoring her weak protests about platonic relationships because she knew she could pull away if she wanted to but she had let her hand remain in his.

He walked them to his car and grinned, opening the door for her. "Mrs Kim."

Jaekyung hit his arm lightly. "That's Miss Lee to you." She pretended to huff.

L smiled and got into the driver's seat, starting the engine. "So birthday boy, where are we going?" Jaekyung looked at him.

L winked. "Dessert."

"Dessert? After that huge cake?" Jaekyung blinked.

L tapped her nose. "Hm, you've got to remember Mrs Kim, Mr Kim will never bring you anything ordinary. Even cake."

-----

"Myungsoo, just how much is this place?" Jaekyung whispered. "I know it's just cake but I'm scared to even step in here."

L laughed and pulled her with him. "Come in. It may look expensive but it's on the house. It's my aunt's shop."

"Your aunt?" Jaekyung blinked at him. "Your family has connections everywhere. Schools, resorts and dessert shops?"

L laughed and pushed her into the cafe by her shoulders. "Come, I'll bring you to see my aunt."

...

"Oh so this is Jaekyung!" Miss Kim smiled. "Myungsoo's right! You're really pretty!"

Jaekyung pinked. "Thank you." She smiled shyly. L grinned and bumped shoulders with Jaekyung. "Of course. What did you think, aunt? That I'll fall for someone ugly?" He teased.

Jaekyung's eyes widened and she made a face at him. Miss Kim laughed heartily at their interaction and shook her head in amusement. "I reserved the cakes for you, Myungsoo. Go sit and I'll prepare them.

"Thanks aunt!" L smiled.

L took Jaekyung's hand and got them the best seats in the house. The dessert cafe was located in a shopping centre on the fourth floor.

Hence sitting by the window allowed one to see a pretty view of the lights of the outdoor shopping market, and also the tall buildings of Seoul in the background.

Jaekyung gazed out wordlessly, a smile on her face. It was beautiful.

Or rather, even if it wasn't, it would be because she was just soooo happy right now. Was it wrong for her to feel so happy right now when everything she was doing was wrong?

L smiled as the ends of her lips twitched up and he just watched quietly. His greatest birthday present was this: spending time with her.

Jaekyung caught him looking and she blinked at him. L shook his head wordlessly, not knowing how to put what he felt in words. That intensity, it couldn't be expressed by mere human words.

So he just smiled.

The cake arrived soon after, a fabulous tiramisu in the shape of a dainty heart. Jaekyung's eyes lit up. "Omo! It's so pretty."

*Like you.* L blinked. *Wait did I just compare her to a slice of cake. Meh, L. Jaekyung's an angel.*

Jaekyung bit into a piece of the cake and closed her eyes, humming in approval. "Myungsoo, it tastes really go- mhhff-"

L leaned forward and kissed her soundly on the lips, pulling back and smiling at her. Jaekyung opened to protest and L shushed her. "Nah ah, that's my present. You didn't give me one."

Jaekyung made a face, sticking out her tongue. "I did, meanie." She dug in her bag.

L brightened, looking delighted. "You did?" He leaned forward. "What?"

Jaekyung pushed a small sized box wrapped in simple light blue wrapping paper to him and played with her fingers under the table. "Here."

L eyed her curiously. "Hmm what's this huh?" He turned it around in his hands, beaming like a child.

"Just open it, Myungsoo." Jaekyung laughed. L smiled at her, leaning forward to peck her lips once before tearing the wrapping paper excitedly.

He blinked curiously at the white box and opened it, pulling out its contents.

"A black iPod nano?" L's lips slowly turned up in a smile. "How did you know I just spoilt mine?"

Because she just did. Just like how he just knew everything about her.

"Listen to it." Jaekyung urged.

L's eyes widened in surprise. "You recorded songs in here?"

"That's the point of an iPod nano isn't it?" She mused.

L smiled so widely, Jaekyung thought his mouth reached his eyes. L plugged the earphones in hurriedly and popped them into his ears, turning on the device.

There were a few songs recorded in there, including Nothing's over, Be Mine, Paradise etc. Some of Jaekyung's favorite songs.

L scrolled down to the last tracked, an untitled recording. He played it curiously, as Jaekyung played with her fingers under the table.

"Eh is this thing on?" Someone whispered. "Oh no it is! Uhm hi."

L chuckled, amused.

"Hi Myungsoo uh... This is Jaekyung. Uhm h-happy birthday. I hope you like this gift, I prerecorded a few of my favorite songs and I hope you like them too. I came to know you needed a new iPod when I kind of heard you telling Sungyeol. Oh wait, don't you dare think I was paying attention to you! Because I wasn't okay?"

*You totally were.* L bit back a smile.

"And Uhm, happy birthday, Myungsoo. I just wanted to say that uh...I'm happy to have met you. I really disliked you in the beginning. I hate jjangs in general but you're different. You really are. And Uhm...well...I uh...I...Aish just, happy birthday!"

The recording clicked shut and the clip ended. What was she about to say?

L stared at the iPod in his hands, his heart thudding madly. It was now or never. He needed to know, he needed to hear.

Right now.

L stood up abruptly, pulling the earphones out of his ears and taking Jaekyung's hand. "Let's go."

"Huh? But the cake! We haven't even started!" Jaekyung stumbled after him in surprise.

L shook his head and pulled her to his car. "Next time, Jaekyung. I'll bring you here next time. I've got a story I want to tell you."

"Why have we come here, Myungsoo?" Jaekyung stared out of the car.

L had driven madly from the first moment he stepped on the accelerator, speeding determinedly as he switched lanes. He finally got them to a patch of grass on a hill that overlooked the entire Seoul city night view.

L turned to look at her and jerked his head to the side. "Come on, follow me."

He interlaced their fingers and pulled her with him to sit on top of the hill under a tree. Jaekyung stared at the city lights in front of her and let out a small sigh.

The city lights were man's own artificial stars. In a way, it was beautiful.

"Why have we come here, Myungsoo?" Jaekyung asked curiously. "Without even finishing the cake, I might add?"

L stared out in front for a few moments and let out a breath, repeating the words of her recording in his mind.

"I've got to tell you a story, Jaekyung. But before that, I want to set the mood."

"The mood?" Jaekyung echoed.

"Hmm. To listen to this story, I want to promise me that you will forget everything out there in the world. In our lives. Everything." L turned to look at her.

"What do you mean, why do I have to forget everything just to listen to a story?" She laughed hesitantly.

"Just do it." L urged. "Forget Infinite. Forget your parents. Forget Chaekyung. Okay, let me tell you then, forget yourself. Forget that you're Lee Jaekyung. Forget that I'm Kim Myungsoo. We're just a guy and a girl sitting on top of a hill, nothing else."

"Done that?" He murmured.

Jaekyung nodded once. "Yeah."

"Good. Cause I'm starting my story." L whispered. "So, once upon a time-"

Jaekyung giggled.

L sent her a look and pouted. "Hey!"

"I'm sorry. But seriously of all beginnings in the world you choose the most cliche of them all?" Jaekyung laughed.

L flicked her forehead and tapped her nose. "Fairytales start with that. I'm going to start my story with that too. So shush and let me continue."

Jaekyung nodded and stifled her laughter. "Okay."

L smiled and took a deep breath, his heart racing madly in his chest. "So once upon a time, there was this guy and this girl.

"This girl, she didn't like this guy from the very beginning. This guy was rather popular and she just didn't like people like this. She hated him before she even talked to him."

"This guy, he didn't like this girl either. He heard rumors about her and somehow, she managed to get under his skin without doing anything. He just disliked her, even without talking to her."

"Myungsoo, isn't that us-"

"Shush." L put his fingers to her lips. "So where was I? Oh yeah."

"So this guy and this girl hated each other. It was strange, they just did."

"And then this guy met this girl's little sister. Her sister was pretty and popular as well, and this guy's friends encouraged him to pursue her because she was a good catch."

"This guy, he had no idea what was love. He hadn't had a girlfriend before and not even a crush. He didn't know what it meant to like someone in the romantic way and when he thought her sister was pretty and her friends encouraged him to, he accepted her confession. And he didn't realize it was the biggest mistake ever."

"Myungsoo, what-"

"And so this guy started his first relationship. On the first day of his relationship he spent time at the Newsletter meeting. On the second day he spent it with this girl discussing about the article and almost getting in a fight. On the third day he spent it laying on bed while thinking of this girl."

Jaekyung's bottom lip wobbled.

"This guy, he had no idea even at that stage, something was dreadfully wrong. Even when he disliked this girl immensely, he never realized how it was strange for him to think about her more than her sister. He should have known. He should have." L whispered.

"And then this girl and this guy, they began to spend time together. Because of the newsletter committee, because they were in the same class, because of her sister. And through these times, this guy began warming up to this girl. She caught his attention even when he didn't want to give it, from the very first moment they met."

"And soon they were good friends, they had similar passions, similar interests and similar goals. This guy, he still couldn't believe how the smile of his girl affected him even with her large dorky glasses and extra large shirts. And then this guy, his priorities started changing even before he realized. His priority would be to make this girl happy, to see that dazzling smile of hers again."

"Sometimes he would get reminded that his girlfriend was her sister, not her, and he would try desperately to get chummy with his real girlfriend but he just couldn't. He once asked his friend, did he have to constantly remind himself to have skinship with his girlfriend or did it come naturally to him? He should have known then, something was wrong."

Jaekyung swallowed, her eyes glistening. "Myungsoo..."

"And then came a bastard who always picked on this girl." L's face hardened. "This guy couldn't stand how this bastard always made it a point to make her feel bad. He could tell it affected her no matter how she smiled and told him otherwise. This guy could tell there was something she wasn't telling him. And this something was huge. It had to be. Because it affected this girl in the choices she made, the way she presented herself, and why she chose to hide."

L lowered his gaze to the floor. "This guy knew this girl didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't ask. But he didn't realize how this secret of hers would affect them until one fateful day when his best friend played a prank on him. He thought something bad had happened to this girl and at that instant, he was so afraid. So worried. So anxious." L whispered softly.

"And that was when he knew, he loves her."

Jaekyung let out a sob, trembling.

"And when he confessed to this girl, she rejected him. Again, again and again. The same reason over and over; because he was her sister's boyfriend. And when he tried to break up with her sister, this girl threatened to break all ties with him. Maybe if it had been other girls, this guy would have acted differently. But because it was this girl, he knew she meant what she said. And he couldn't lose her, even if he couldn't have her."

"This secret of hers that keeps her from her heart, this guy wants to know, desperately." L's voice broke. "He wants know know why she has to sacrifice everything for her sister. What about herself? About him? About them?"

"Because even when he thinks he knows what her heart feels, even when he seems so confident that she likes him back, there's a part of him that is insecure. There's a limit to how many times he can be pushed away. There's a small part of him that breaks every time she runs away, especially when she accepted the bastard instead."

"Myungsoo.." Jaekyung cried softly, hugging her knees.

"So today," L looked out into the city lights, taking a large breath. "Today this guy and this girl, they are seated on a hill. Only the two of them, with the rest of the world out of their minds."

L turned towards her and took her hand gently. "This guy, he turns to her and reaches for her hand, his eyes searching hers desperately. He inwardly begs for her to just forget, this one night, just forget everything out there. Tonight it is only her and him. Tonight please just live for herself and not anyone else."

L searched her eyes, his heart thudding wildly in his chest and the heat between their palms searing throughout his body.

"Tonight, this guy tells this girl again. This guy tells her that he loves her. With his life. His soul. His everything."

"What will this girl say?" He whispered.

Jaekyung barely noticed the tear that rolled down her cheek as she stared back, touched. Her heart was behaving in a similar fashion, and she desperately wanted to cry.

"This girl..." She breathed softy. "This girl would say..."

L's grip on her hand tightened.

"This girl would say that she loves him back." Jaekyung stared back at him, her cheeks pinking.

L took a few moments to react, his eyes wide and the sides of his lips curling upwards slowly. His fingers moved to interlace with hers as he pulled her closer.

"Finally."

And he kissed her.

And for the first time, she kissed back.

Heyy guys.

I know I haven't been updating as frequently as I was in the past, but bad news is that my updating rate most slightly won't speed up. I'm waiting for uni to start so I'm holding a temp job right now. I work 9-6 and honestly, writing is the last thing I feel like doing after work.

I have to go for interviews, prepare myself for them, worry about my uni and scholarship applications, and at the same time I've got to have a social life as well.

I try to write as much and as often as I can, but I want to spend time with my friends as well before they enter army.I want to let you guys know that I appreciate you guys reading and supporting and I thank you for your patience.

I'm sorry if I don't reply to messages and wallposts fast, or if my answers are short. If I don't reply your post it's most likely that I missed yours. Sorry for that.

I just want to thank you guys for waiting and supporting.

Peace,
Goddess.