Crazy For This Girl - Evan & Jaron

She rolls the window down 
And she 
Talks over the sound 
Of the cars that pass us by 
And I don't know why 
But she's changed my mind 

It's not difficult to fall in love with Seohyun. I'm not trying to be cliche, but it was like something clicked that rainy, April afternoon we first met, when I was seventeen and she was sixteen.

My life had been spectacularly mundane until then. I got B's in school with the occasional A in math. I think my literature teacher had once described me as "taciturn, but insightful if you really take the time to notice him". A backhanded compliment if I ever heard one, but truth is, he was pretty dead on. While most of my classmates were busy with the intrigues of dating and college applications, I had no such ambitions. Getting through each day of high school drudgery was my only goal. My father certainly had no expectations for me, only that I take over our family bookstore when he retires. And I had no maternal guidance as my mother had passed away when I was very young.

She breathed new life into me, like a shooting star acrosss an empty night sky, with her unabashed innocence, bookworm tendencies, and sweet smile.

"Oppa, you're doing it again," a teasing, feminine voice prods me from the right.

I chance a glance at her, although I know doing so would seriously disrupt my focus from driving.

"Doing what Hyun?" I ask, as casually as possible.

She leans forward, with a mischevious smile. I gulp. Seohyun could be deadly perceptive sometimes.

"Spacing out." she says, lightly tapping my nose with her finger.

"Me? No, I was just paying attention to the road."

"If you say so." she replies, in a sing-song voice.

We are on a four day road trip to Cheongsan-do island. She is going for research purposes, having heard that sea turtles were due to lay their eggs there soon. It was apparently a great opportunity for her science fair project this year. And with her parents out of the country, I decided there was no way I was going to let her travel down there on her own by train.

She opens the window, letting in the cool sea air and allowing the silky strands of her long hair to billow behind her. Her intoxicating strawberry scent floats to me.

It was going to be a long four days.

Would you look at her 
She looks at me 
She's got me thinking about her constantly 
But she don't know how I feel 
 

Seohyun, I've discovered, is a lover of all weather. As we step out of the ferry and collect our car, she stretches her arms up to the sun, as if trying to embrace it.

"Oppa, it's a beautiful day, ne?"

"Hyun, you're going to get freckles that way."

She laughs, and grabs my hands suddenly, spinning us around as she sings, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine! You make me happy, when skies are grey!"

"Come on gloomy Oppa, the sea turtles are waiting for us." Excited, she lets go of my hand and jumps in the car.

As we drive off, all I can think is that if there were freckles on her nose, I would kiss each one of them.

------------------------------------

We end up at the beach farthest away, which, according to our visitor's guide, is the least frequented by tourists as it is small and quiet. Seohyun had a hunch the turtles would rather gather at this spot. I had to agree, I mean, if I was a sea turtle, I certainly wouldn't want to get trampled by little children and their stressed out parental units. Imagine, swimming along all nice and peacefully and arriving at your destination only to see a bunch of vacationing humans wrecking your precious beach where your future children will be born -

"Oppa! Look, there are sea turtle tracks over there." Seohyun interrupts my deep contemplation and drags me along to see the evidence she has found.

She leans down for closer inspection, taking out her camera and documenting every detail. Eventually, she starts following the tracks and slowly moves away from me. I hesitate and end up standing still, not wanting to ruin any "evidence" or step on any turtle eggs.

When she is about 20 meters from me, she looks up suddenly, and turns, trying to find me. Seeing me back where we started, she asks, "Oppa? What are you doing over there?"

"I didn't want to step on any eggs, " I yell back.

This causes her to laugh, her eyes filling with mirth. "Oppa, you can't step on the eggs. The turtles make sure to bury them deep in the sand so predators can't get to them."

Hearing this, my mouth forms an "O" shape.

Still laughing, she beckons me over to her with one hand and I cautiously move from my position.

We continue exploring the beach for another two hours, Seohyun taking as many pictures as she can. My stomach though, growls, reminding me that we haven't had lunch yet.

"Hyun, look behind us." I say, tapping her lightly on the shoulder.

"Hm?"

"There are tracks left by some other animals it seems." I point at the two sets up tracks we have left in the sand.

She looks amused and plays along, "Yes! Your're right. And they seem to belong to two larger animals. What if they're dangerous?"

I grin and point to my stomach, "I hear as long as you feed them, they won't bother you."

She laughs, "Ok Oppa, let's get some lunch. Sorry, I got carried away."

We make our way back to the car, me leading the way this time. She's walking slowly though, still soaking up the warm sun and beautiful scenery. Emboldened by a sudden surge of courage, I grab her hand and run with her the rest of the way. I don't dare to turn and look at her, but she does not take her hand back, which I hope is a good sign. Our shadows dance along together, intertwined like our fingers, and for once, the ache in my heart subsides a little.

And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if she's figured out
I'm crazy for this girl
Yea im crazy for this girl

"Ahjussi, are there really no rooms left?" I ask for the third time.

The elderly innkeeper looks sympathetic, but shakes his head. "We're completely booked. You'll have a tough time finding a room tonight I'm afraid. It's our busy season."

I sigh, and turn back to look at Seohyun, who is cutely rubbing her eyes and looking incredibly tired.

"Hyun, I think we're out of luck. How do you feel about sleeping one night in the car?"

She nods, holding back a yawn. "Ok Oppa, but are are you sure? Will you be comfortable like that?"

"I think so, and I'll sleep outside. There's a sleeping bag in the trunk, so it shouldn't be a problem." I reply.

This wakes her up almost instantly. "Oppa! That won't work, how can I make you sleep outside? It's your car!" She argues, with her hands on her hips.

But Seohyun-ah, I don't think I can last one night with you in a small cramped place, I think to myself.

I'm about to try to reason with her, when the innkeeper speaks up.

"It looks like you kids are really in a tight spot. There is one room left actually. My grandson just went to college, so as long as you keep it neat, you can stay in his room, free of charge."

"Really ahjussi? That would be great!" I thank him, relieved to have found a solution.

"Thank you ahjussi!" Seohyun also chimes in.

He nods, and takes us upstairs to show us the room. It's small, with one twin size bed, but there should be enough room on the floor for me.

"Ok, sleep well. There's breakfast in the morning for a small fee, if you want any." he says.

"Oh wait, ahjussi, is there an extra pillow and blanket?" I ask.

He looks confused, so I add, "for me, to sleep on the floor."

"Oh, I thought you two would share the bed. Aren't you together?" he asks, surprised.

I choke on my words and Seohyun turns bright red.

"No! I mean no, we're just friends." I explain hastily.

"Ah I see," he says. "Well, could have fooled me. I'll get you an extra blanket then."

"Thank you ahjussi" I manage as he leaves.

A little bit later, we are finally settled in our respective beds. I'm about to drift off when I hear a quiet,  "Oppa, are you awake?"

I turn and look up at Seohyun, who's hair is hanging off the side of the bed in lose curls as she peers at me with big, brown eyes.

"Yes, what is it Rapunzel?" I ask, gently tugging on one strand.

"I just wanted to thank you Oppa, for coming with me on this trip. I know everyone else would have laughed and thought my idea ridiculous, but you always supported me. And I can't tell you how much that means. So, thank you."

I gulp and wonder if she knows what she is doing to me right now. I want to tell her that there is no need to thank me because I would do it again, a thousand times over if she would just keep looking at me the way she is now.

Instead, I smile and reassure her, "It's no big deal. You should get some sleep though, if we're going back to the beach tomorrow."

She nods, "Ok Oppa, sleep well."

Seohyun falls asleep quickly, her mind unperturbed. Meanwhile, I am now wide awake as I lie back and listen the pitter-patter of the rain that is dripping down the one small window in the room.

Not being able to resist, I gaze at Seohyun as she sleeps, fascinated by the little details of her face that I miss during the day. Her lashes are longer and lips plumper than I had thought. My hand itches to caress the skin of her cheek to find out if it really is as silky as it looks. Luckily, I have enough self-control and stop my creeper tendencies before they get any worse.

I lay back and the rain outside reminds me of another day, not too long ago, when we first met.

-----------------------------------------------------------

It was Sunday and raining, meaning that the flow of customers into our bookstore had halted to a stop by 2 pm. It also meant that the chances of me getting caught napping in the storage room were slim to none, a fact I was grateful for since it was already bad enough to be stuck there by yourself.

I was just stretching out and getting comfortable (well, as comfortable as possible with a dictionary as a pillow) when the door chime rings, alerting me that someone had come in. Cursing softly, I jump up and stumble my way to the front counter.

"Afternoon, welcome to Han's Books. How can I help you today?" I ask, not looking at the customer yet as I hastily clean up the counter, which was littered with books. Embarrassingly, I manage to drop one off the front edge of the counter.

Before I can reach over and grab it, a delicate, pale hand picks it up and holds it out, accompanied by a quiet giggle.

"Oh, thanks. Our store usually isn't - " I begin, but I forget what I was going to say next when my eyes meet her rich, caramel-brown ones. As I scanned her face, I realized that in front of me stood possibly the prettiest girl I had seen in my seventeen years. Wet from the rain it seemed, but still very pretty.

She smiles at me unsurely, no doubt wondering why I had turned into a spineless guppie right in front of her.

My throat suddenly feels incredibly dry. "Uh, I mean...." I stutter.

"I like your taste in books." she says.

"Books?" I ask.

Her eyes drop to the book we are both still holding. "Frankenstein is a classic. Dark but quite good." she explains.

, haven't read that one.

"Right! Frankenstein. Yeah, it's my favorite." I say quickly.

Her lips quirk upwards again (I'm not staring at them, I swear). "Really?"

Thinking on my feet, I lean forward and say in a stage whisper, "Shh! Bookstore owners have appearances to keep up."

She laughs and winks, stopping my heart for a second. "Ok, your secret is safe with me."

"Can I trust you though?" I ask solemly.

She nods earnestly and raises her other hand in a mock oath, "I swear it."

At this, we crack up, both unable to stop laughing for a few moments before I finally remember my customer service duties.

"So, is there anything I can help you find? Although it looks like you know more about books than I do."

She smiles, "Actually, I was just looking for a place to wait out the rain. I got a little lost wandering around the park just now."

"Ah, are you new around here?"

"Yeah I moved here last week. My father got a promotion and was relocated by his company."

I would later learn that her father is scary as hell and not someone to mess with. I mean of course he's a giant teddy bear to Seohyun, but to any of her male peers he might as well be a hungry grizzly bear during salmon season. You know, when they just stand there and mercilessly catch the fish that jump straight into their mouths.

"Oh that's cool. Do you know what school you're going to yet?"

"Hm, I think it was Hanyoung Foreign Language High."

My heart sunk a little. Of course a girl like her would be going to an exclusive private school. Well, at least it was close by.

"Hanyoung, that's near mine. You must be crazy smart to have gotten in." I tell her.

"Oh, you don't go there?" She asks.

Is it my imagination or does she sound disappointed? I let myself hope it's the latter.

"Nah, but it's literally down the street. I'll probably see you around." I reply nonchalantly.

"Oh, that's good. It would have been nice to have one friend at school already though. I hate being the new girl all of the time." She says.

I nod sympathetically. "Yeah, that must . Have you moved a lot?"

"Yup, I just spent two years in Japan and before that we were in the States."

"Wow, you weren't kidding. Hey, I know some Japanese actually."

She raises an amused eyebrow. "Really?"

"You doubt me!" I say accusingly.

She laughs, "It's not from reading manga is it?"

"Young lady, I'll have you know that manga is very educational."

"Young lady? You can't be that much older than me!" She protests.

"Wanna bet? How's this, if you win, I'll walk you to school on your first day. And if I win... you'll re-shelve these books with me."

"So I just have to guess how many months we are apart?"

"Yup, whoever's closer wins."

"Alright, you've got a deal."

She presents her hand to me with a competitive gleam in her eye. You're a genius, Luhan, I think to myself. Either way, this is a win win situation.

I grasp it, meeting her gaze and trying to ignore the tingling sensation crawling up my arms. We shake and let go, although I may have held on a little too long.

She looks me up and down closely, and I can feel my skin flushing under her gaze. "I'm going with 5 months." She finally decides.

"1 year." I say in response.

She scoffs, "We'll see. Ok, what day were you born?"

"April 20th." I say slowly.

She grins, no doubt feeling confident. "June 28th."

"1990."

Her face falls at this. "No way, but you don't look 17!"

I smirk, "My boyishly charming looks worked, didn't they?"

Huffing, she grabs some books from the counter and stomps off to the nearest shelf.

I laugh and follow her. "Hey, you didn't tell me your year yet!"

She purses her lips and finally concedes. "1991".

"Ah, it's ok Kiddo, I'll still walk you to school." I say, melting under her cuteness as I lean against the shelf.

"Really?"

"Yes, as long as you call me oppa."

"Oppa? But I don't even know your name yet."

"Oh, that's right. Sorry, I'm Lu Han."

"I'm Kim Seohyun, nice to meet you Lu Han."

We continued getting to know each other for the rest of the afternoon, bantering back and forth, laughing contagiously, and becoming friends faster than I ever had with anyone else.

I think I will always remember it as the best afternoon of my life.

She was the one to hold me 
The night 
The sky fell down 
And what was I thinking when 
The world didn't end 
Why didn't I know what I know now 

"And that's it for today's lesson. Homework is chapter 10, please read it and prepare discussion topics for our next class."

I tap my pencil and dutifully write down my homework assignment. But in my head, I am back at the beach with Seohyun, laughing in the sunshine instead of holed up in school. It's been 2 weeks since summer vacation and our trip to Cheongsan-do Island ended but it feels like it was ages ago. A beautiful dream compared to this dreary reality.

My teacher's voice finally stops droning on as she dismisses us from class.

I lazily grab my books and make my way out of the classroom, yawning and letting the other students push me along. Sometimes, I worry about the herd mentality high school gets you into.

Today though, there seems to be some sort of hold up. A group of students, mostly male, have  gathered in front of a window. They are talking loud enough for me to overhear.

"Dude, who is that?"

"Man, she's hot. She's not a new student is she?"

"You idiot, can't you see she's got on one of those fancy prep school uniforms. Probably goes to Hanyoung."

At this, my drowsiness disappears. Hanyoung? Could it be?

I rush over, pushing them aside and look down into the courtyard.

And there she is, Kim Seohyun. She's standing alone in the middle of the courtyard and looking around carefully as if she can't find something important.

My mind is awash in confusion. Happy to see her yet worried and anxious. Why is she here? It's the middle of the school day, she should be in class. And Seohyun doesn't miss class, perfect attendance was a point of pride for her.

Without thinking of the consequences, I race down the stairs, sprinting to get to her. When she sees me come into view, her face brightens and she waves at me.

I reach her, panting for breath. "Hyun, what are you doing here?"

"Oppa, your school is quite large." She observes.

I choke out a laugh in disbelief. "You came all this way to see how big it is?"

"It's not far remember, right down the street." She says seriously, motioning her hand towards her school.

I'm about to retort that she never felt the compulsion to visit before, when I remember that in a big school there are a lot of eyes. And they are all currently on us. Neat.

"Hyun, let's uh ... find some cover." I say, tugging her arm and ushering her towards the side entrance.

"Oppa, there are people waving at us." She says, her eyes big as she looks up.

I follow her gaze and wince, turning away quickly when I see some of my classmates pointing at us through the windows.

"Yeah, well you're kind of a new species around here and that gets attention. Come on, we can talk in here." I finally succeed in dragging her into the gymnasium, which no one was using luckily.

 "So what are you doing here?" I ask her again. "Is something wrong?"

She sighs and sits down on one of the bleachers. "Can't a girl visit her best friend without all of this drama?" She says instead of answering my question.

I take a seat next to her. "Yes, if said girl had done so discretely and not come to the best friend's school right before 5th period."

Her eyes get big and she asks worriedly, "Oppa, are you mad?"

"No, just concerned. The Kim Seohyun I know would not let me get out of math class this easily."

I'm just teasing her like usual but surprisingly, her eyes start tearing up.

"You're right, I'm being incredibly selfish. I didn't think. I'm sorry Oppa, I'll go now." She stands, hastily rubbing her eyes to hide her tears.

"Woah, hang on a sec. I didn't mean it like that Hyun." I grab her shoulder and turn her around to face me. She is still distressed though and I am at a loss for what to do. Seeing her look so pitiful made my heart ache and impulsively, I pull her into a hug, my arms wrapping around her small frame.

She sniffles and clings to me, and irrationally, I want this moment never to end.

After a few moments, she collects herself and pulls away.

"Thanks, Oppa. God I'm emotional today huh?"

"That's alright," I say. "It also happens that my hugs are free today, so it was actually good timing."

She cracks a smile at this, which I note as a small victory.

"How cheesy Oppa."

"Don't underestimate my free hugs Hyun."

We sit down again and she fiddles with her fingers before finally saying, "Oppa, something did happen. My father found out about our trip to Cheongsan-do. I'm ... I'm not allowed to see you anymore."

I stare at her, not comprehending the meaning of her words.

"Cheongsan-do? Were you not supposed to go?"

"I didn't tell them. But he found out about it when he saw my photos today." She confesses.

"Oh."

She bites her lip as she looks at me, "I don't know why he suddenly cares about what I do! He's missed all of my other science fairs, why does this one matter?!"

I feel uneasy, knowing where this is probably going. "I think I understand."

"You do? Well I don't. And he said all sorts of other things about how I shouldn't hang out only with you and that you're becoming a bad influence. Oh, and that I'm being selfish too by not letting you be with your people! Your people? What does that even mean?!" She rants.

I mull over my next words carefully, because the last thing I want to do is ruin her relationship with her parents. Seohyun is, and always will be, her parent's precious daughter and I can't compete with that.

"Hyun, I think he just wants what's best for you. It makes sense, I mean your studies should be your priority right now."

"So you think we shouldn't be friends?"

I shake my head. "No, but maybe once you get through midterms, he will have calmed down a bit. We'll just have to hang out less for now." I say this with as much confidence as I can muster, although I know this most likely marks the beginning of the end of our friendship.

"And things will go back to the way they were before?" She asks, hopeful.

I tug on her ponytail playfully. "Of course. And by then, we'll both be older, wiser." Somehow, these words seem to convince her. A little part of me though wants to defy her father, grab her hand, and run away together.

She nods, "And definitely more independent."

Before I can react, she leans in and hugs me again. With her head buried in my shoulder, she murmurs, "Ok Oppa, we'll give that a try."

I think I'm close to breaking down. She's all soft curves and strawberry shampoo, and the imprint of her body against mine feels like it will leave a permanent mark, an etching of her on my skin. Saying good-bye like this seems too bitter-sweet.

"Take care of yourself, Hyun."

Would you look at her 
She looks at me 
She's got me thinking about her constantly 
But she don't know how I feel 
And as she carries on without a doubt 
I wonder if she's figured out 
I'm crazy for this girl 
Yea im crazy for this girl 

Piano music plays gently in the background as she completes the intricate steps. Her long, ivory arms are ideal for this kind of dancing.

I watch quietly from the door, wondering if she sees what I see as she glances at the wall of mirrors. Is it ridiculous that I'm more mesmerized than ever by her? Perhaps absence does make the heart grow fonder. It's been exactly 3 weeks, 2 days, and 28 minutes since I last saw her. In a moment of weakness and desperation, my feet had led me to her dance studio today, knowing she'd be here as I memorized her schedule long ago.

A hand on my shoulder startles me. Turning, I see Jongin, a friend from school. It's Tuesday, so he must be here for dance practice with his hip hop group.

 "Feeling inadequate?" He asks.

"Around her? Always."

He shakes his head in disapproval. "Seriously, Han, grow some balls and just ask her out."

"Eloquently said Jongin. Really, I should go to you for advice more often." I reply sarcastically.

He laughs, "Hey, I put that Shakespeare guy to shame."

I scoff, "Right, and I'm LeBron James."

"Woah, didn't know you were a brother from another mother."

"The athletic genes are there, just dormant." I insist.

We both chuckle at this, mutually agreeing that my talent on the basketball court is a little lacking.

"But hey, did you two get in a fight or something? You guys don't seem as attached at the hip anymore." He asks.

I turn my attention back to the girl inside, who is now stretching at the bar and still oblivious to our conversion. "It's ... complicated."

Jongin looks more concerned now. "What did you do?"

"Hey, why are you assuming it's something I did?"

"That's true. It's more like something you didn't do."

"What?" I ask, confused.

He sighs and smacks me behind the head. "I'm talking about taking the initiative. With a girl like that, you can't just play Mr. Nice Guy, understand?"

I rub the back of my head and grumble,  "A girl like that is exactly why I can't. Look Jongin, I appreciate it but I don't think I'll be seeing Seohyun anymore, so this really is a non-issue."

He frowns at me, eyebrows furrowing together. "Not seeing her anymore? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. She and I ... we were never meant to be."

I think I've stunned him into silence with this statement, a rare feat. Resisting the urge to look back at the girl in the room, I turn and begin walking away. In hindsight, I should have known that turning your back on Kim Jongin is never a good idea. In an instant, he takes out my legs and tackles me to the ground.

"Umph! Yah! Jongin, get off me!" I cry as we go down in a heap with him on top.

"I will, once you decide to stop being a knucklehead."

 "Jongin, I already told you-"

"Han, don't make me twist your arm. Literally. No more of this crap about can't seeing her or not meant to be. Who else can decide that but you?"

I struggle underneath him, pushing off as hard as I can and kicking with all of my strength, but with no success. Finally giving up, I lay my cheek on the cold floor and contemplate if life has ever been this hard before.

"I'm just not good enough for her, happy?" I say quietly, more to the floor than Jongin.

He somehow heard me though. "Bull. Don't get all emo on me Han. You can't listen to what our teachers or parents say, cuz this is your life. Let her decide if you're not good enough. You might never have another chance with her again - are you really going to waste it wallowing away here?"

I stay silent and he takes this as his cue to leave.

"What do you have to lose anyways?" he asks, before turning the corner and walking out of sight.

I sit up slowly, absorbing his words.

What indeed?

Right now 
Face to face 
All my fears 
Pushed aside 
And right now 
I'm ready to spend the rest of my life 
With you 

With extreme trepidation, to the point that my hand is shaking as I raise it up to the door, I knock three times and step back politely.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Park, opens the door and greets me in a surprised tone. "Oh, Lu Han! It's been a while. Would you like to come in?"

I nod and get ushered in. My coat and gloves are whisked away and she begins leading me to the living room.

"Agassi is out shopping with her mother right now, would you like to wait for her here? I can bring you some tea and cookies."

"Actually, I came to see Mr. Kim." I respond, as evenly as possible.

She looks surprised once again. "Mr. Kim? You wish to speak with him?"

"Yes"

Her eyebrows may have well disappeared into her hairline, but as any good housekeeper would have done, she questioned me no further and said she would go check if he was available.

I begin pacing around the room, too anxious to sit. Finally, she returns.

"He'll see you right now. He says you have 5 minutes."

Great, at least the pain will come quick, I think.

Out loud, I reply, "Thank you Mrs. Park." and obediantly follow her to his study.

"Sir, Lu Han is here. I will return for him in 5 minutes." she says before leaving me in the lion's den.

I clear my throat. Mr. Kim's chair is turned away, facing the window.

"Sir, if I could have your attention for a few minutes, I promise I will not take longer."

I pause and wait, and eventually he does turn, eyeing me carefully.

"Well? The seconds are ticking by young man." He finally says.

"Yes, I ... I just wanted to tell you Sir, face to face, how much I want your daughter to succeed in anything she does. I would never make myself an obstacle to that success as I truly care for her. She's important to me too, and I just want to have a chance to be a part of her life."

I pause and take a breath, wondering if I've dug my grave deep enough. Mr. Kim's stoney face reveals nothing though.

"I can promise you that I will not harm her, that I will always be forthright and honest regarding her and my intentions."

He is still silent and now I'm a little intimidated, I'll admit. Instinctively, like a caged animal, I begin looking for escape routes. The window behind him looks welcoming, although we are on the second floor. I'm not sure which alternative would be worse: falling two stories or continuing this conversation.

"Lu Han is it?" He finally says. "Sit down boy, don't loom over me like that."

Surprised, I do as he says without protest.

"Now I've met you once before, right?"

"Yes Sir."

He nods. "Tell me Lu Han, you're already a senior in high school. What are your plans after school?"

"Well, I'll be taking my college entrance exams soon. If that goes well, I hope to major in mathematics, or a similar field."

"Mathematics? And how does that translate to a successful career?"

I gulp. "It's my best subject, so I hope I can use it in finance or maybe engineering."

He raises a skeptical eyebrow. "I hear both are very competitive areas. What if your plans don't pan out?"

If Mr. Kim is trying to give me his best impersonation of a college admissions officer, I would have to say he's doing an excellent job.

"Well, my father actually owns a small business. At the very least, I could use my education to help him keep it growing."

"That's right." He says, looking at me with new interest."A bookstore, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, Sir."

"You know, I can't help but like small businesses. In this day in age, all these corporate mergers and time spent on getting a few more cents per share seems like such a ridiculous waste. Think about the impact it actually has on the economy - the big corporations are too big to fail and-"

Just then, a knock on the door is heard and Mrs. Park enters.

"Sir-"

"Oh, Mrs. Park, bring our guest some refreshments. I'm sure you're thirsty Lu Han."

She looks as shocked as I am at this turn of events, but does as he says and quietly closes the door behind her.

"Now where were we?"

"Big corporations are too big to fail?" I reply hesitantly.

"Ah yes, that was my point. But luckily, Mrs. Park interrupted my rambling thoughts." he chuckles. "You must not be interested in an old man's thoughts on the economy."

"Well Sir, to be honest, I've never really given it thought before. But I think you make a good point, because lately, my father has struggled a little after the chain bookstore opened a location near us."

He nods. "It's an inevitable problem that Korea will have to face on a national level soon."

We both sit in silence, Mr. Kim mulling over this observation and me trying to look in deep thought as well.

"Well, anyways Lu Han, I think you deserve an answer."

I startle, "Sir?"

He looks at me seriously. "You did come to ask about Seohyun right?"

"Ah! That ... yes! I mean, no - I don't mean to presume .." I stutter, not ready for the verdict yet.

"It's my turn to be honest with you now Lu Han." he continues, disregarding my half sentences. "I'll admit, I was skeptical of her relationship with you at first. I didn't stop it because it did seem very innocent, nothing too serious. But after I discovered the trip to Cheongsan-do, I had to step in. You understand, right?"

My throat tightens. Unable to make a sound, I just nod.

"Today though, you surprised me. And it takes quite a lot to surprise me these days. You've got backbone kid, and it seems, ambition. There's nothing wrong with that."

My eyes widen and for a fleeting second, I dared to hope.

"Right now, it's a little early to say what will happen between you and my daughter. Give it time and we'll see where you two are in a few years. In the meantime, I don't see anything wrong in letting you see her. Of course, should any harm come to her while she is with you, there will be consequences - understood?"

"Yes, yes of course. Thank you for hearing me out today." I reply quickly.

He nods, settling the matter. "My door is open should you wish to discuss anything along these lines in the future."

Mr. Kim then stands and sees me out of his study. My heart is pounding now with new optimism instead of fear. Now all that was left was to tell the girl in question, because really, it was only her answer that truly mattered in the end.

Would you look at her 
She looks at me 
She's got me thinking about her constantly 
But she don't know how I feel 
And as she carries on without a doubt 
I wonder if she's figured out 
I'm crazy for this girl 

"Thank you, please come again." I say to our last customer for the day. I wave politely from the door, and then flip the sign over to say "Closed". Checking my watch, I notice I should have exactly 15 minutes to set up, if she arrives right on time.

Quickly, I place candles strategically around the store, and light them with care, trying not to burn any books or my fingertips. I then go over to our fireplace and attempt to cajole a fire out of it. The bookstore is actually the first floor of what used to be an old, victorian-era mansion, a style that was popularized in Korea when it was forced to open its shores to Western imperialism in the early 20th century. Although we've renovated most of the house for our use, the fireplace is a part of the original architecture and is thus old and a little tempermental, so this isn't the easiest task.  

After I finally manage to a fire out of the dusty thing, I prepare two cups of expresso and place them on the coffee table in front of the fire. The leather armchairs I dug out from the back room this morning add to the nice, cozy atmosphere. It's a wintry November afternoon, so hopefully, with the bookstore glowing with warmth from the candles and fire, she'll come in and want to stay.

A moment later, I hear a door chime and my pulse quickens. I stay rooted to my spot and listen to the footsteps of the person who just entered. I hear them follow the trail of candles to the nook in the back where I am standing.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she calls out timidly, before coming around the corner.

At that second, everything slowed down - time essentially stopped as far as I was concerned as I watched Kim Seohyun walk towards me with a shy smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

God she's ing beautiful.

"Oppa?" she asks, stopping a few feet in front of me. "What's going on?"

When I don't respond, she holds up a book she brought with her.

"I found this in my locker today. There was a note asking me to return it here. Did you lose it?"

She shows me the copy of Frankenstein she is holding, leaning forwards so I can see it better. I grasp it, and pull her towards me so our feet are almost toe to toe.

"Yes, I almost lost something very dear to me." I finally reply.

She looks up at me, still confused, and now I'm drowning in the pools of her deep brown eyes.

As we hold the book together in-between us, I ask her softly, "Hyun, stay with me?"

She pauses and searches my eyes for an answer, not at all frightened by our sudden physical closeness.

"Stay?"

"With me."

"How long?"

"Forever."

"... That's a very long time."

"It's how long I will be here, waiting for you. Wanting you. Loving you."

She gasps and sways backwards slightly, and my arms automatically reach out to hold her steady. She trembles but doesn't reject me. Instead, she dips her head low and says to my chest, "How unfair Oppa."

"Unfair?"

She nods, her cheeks tinged pink. "You beat me to it."

It's my turn to gasp and look shocked. This doesn't just happen does it? In my wildest dreams, I never thought ...

I tilt her chin so her face is angled towards mine.

"Really? Do you feel the same?"

She nods, barely able to hold eye contact.

"Please, say it." I ask. "I just need to hear it."

"I ... I love you too Oppa."

"Again."

"Oppa! Again?"

"Please, Hyun?"

She sighs, looking adorably flustered.

"I love you, Lu Han Oppa."

I beam at her, my happiness uncontainable. I lift her at the waist and spin her around, enjoying those words to the fullest as my heart soars and threatens to jump out of my chest. Her laughter fills my ears and she holds on tight to me, never letting go.

Setting her down on one of the armchairs, I kneel in front of her.

"Again."

"Oppa!"

-----------------------------------

Author's Note:

So you guys probably wondered why it took me so long to update this. I have to confess I must be technologically deficient. Not having access to Word, I update this on my iPhone and I must have pressed a wrong button somewhere and idiotically deleted the chapter, which was close to being done. So, it would have up updated months ago - I just haven't had the heart to rewrite it :(

Don't worry, I'm paranoid now and save all my stories in my email, so this will hopefully never happen again.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed Seohan. A little angsty, but good things come to those who wait, right Luhan? ;)

Sidenote - the island he and Seohyun visit is the same one in Spring Waltz, the drama. Not sure if there are actually sea turtles there, but it is very pretty ^^

Oh and please check out my poll in case there's a pairing you have more interest in. Left to my own devices, I'd probably end up writing changseo (otp is otp), but there were a lot of other requests so majority rule it is!