Shin Hye was outside the door, wiping her wet forehead. What was that back there?

Being that close to Yong Hwa as if almost trying to kiss her was making her very mushy and embarrassed. Her heart fluttered so much that she could not even calm herself.

"Calm down, it was all a mistake," she whispered to herself.

As she was pacing along the patio, Yong Hwa peeked from inside the house from the window.

"What is she doing?" he asked himself in curiosity.

****

After dinner, Min Hyuk was slaving himself at the kitchen to wash the dishes, while the Park couple stayed to rest in Shin Hye's room. Shin Hye was still not willing to admit to herself that she and Yong Hwa almost had another kiss.

"Jagiya!" a merry voice soon sounded, and Shin Hye, who was outside, jumped up.

"Don't scare me when announcing your presence," she said to Jung Shin, who opened the gate.

Both teachers entered the gate, and when Jong Hyun closed the gate after him, Jung Shin twirled towards Shin Hye before leaning awkwardly to her.

"Wae?" the gay otaku asked her. "Do you have a secret that you are scared of sharing with me, nae Jagiya?"

Jong Hyun began wiping his muscular arms as he looked at his nemesis.

"Ni bumonim are inside, geureohchi?" he asked her.

Shin Hye shot a triumphant look at her nemesis.

"Geurae~~ Appa and Eomma are gonna skin you alive!" she threatened him.

"Ai... you know me, I'm a good boy now, Sweetheart," Jong Hyun said as he laughed awkwardly and smiled his boyish smile.

"Bribes like that do not make me envious, Sweetheart," Shin Hye shot back at him before shouting. "EOMMA! APPA!"

Jong Hyun ran and hid behind the bushes because he was so afraid of the Park couple. Jung Shin smiled impishly and posed like an Englishman ready to meet ladies. And a few minutes later, the couple went down the stairs and saw Yong Hwa sitting comfortably by the sofa.

"Was that our Shin Hye?" Eomma asked.

Yong Hwa nodded and accompanied the couple out the door. It was Shin Hye, with a long-haired girl beside her.

"Omo, are you letting a girl in at night???" Appa scolded his daughter.

"Anio, Appa," Shin Hye said while trying to suppress her laughter. "I sarami Lee Jung Shin-imnida."

The mother remembered what Min Young said about Jung Shin giving his condition in exchange for the modeling contract. At first, Eomma was a bit irritated, but it was all gone when Jung Shin strutted forward to kiss her hand.

"Ohohoho, he is such a gentleman!" Eomma swooned.

"Jeon Lee Jung Shin-imnida," Jung Shin introduced himself formally. "It's my first time and my biggest pleasure to meet Shin Hye's abeonim and beautiful eomonim."

"Ohohoho!!! Yeobo! He called me beautiful!" Eomma swooned again.

"Harumph!" Appa grumbled as he cleared his throat. "He has good taste."

"Do not be jealous, Abeonim. It is Abeonim who has good taste because he chose the most beautiful woman on earth," Jung Shin said. "The mother of the beautiful Min Young-noona."

"Ohohoho, Yeobo, he likes our daughter!" Appa laughed proudly.

"So you are the one who asked Shin Hye to stay here?" Eomma asked the tall lad with a big smile on her face.

"Ne, majayo," Jung Shin drawled ily. "Because of that, she gets to know Yong Hwa-hyung."

Eomma and Appa liked Yong Hwa a lot, so they profusedly thanked the otaku, who was the bridge between the two.

"Eomma! It's his fault he thought of letting me stay here!" Shin Hye protested.

"Ahahaha, gwaenchanha, uri ttal (our daughter)," Appa said. "As long as that Lee Jong Hyun is out of sight."

And a sneeze was heard.

Appa realized someone was behind the bushes, so he got ready in action mode.

"Oy! Is that a raccoon?" Appa asked as he tried to shoo off the entity with his hand.

"Get out of hiding, Jong Hyun-hyung," Jung Shin drawled playfully.

"MWO?????" the elder couple exclaimed.

"You mean, Shin Hye, you are living with... with this Lee Jong Hyun?" Appa fumed.

"He's our housemate before she came," Jung Shin explained.

Jong Hyun emerged from behind the bushes with some scratches on his arms. The elder couple looked on in fury at the young man standing in front of them.

"Annyeonghashimnikka?" Jong Hyun greeted the elders meekly.

Appa was about to charge at Jong Hyun when Shin Hye shielded her nemesis.

"Appa, he's mine," Shin Hye said. "If there's someone who should kick him and shut him up, it's me."

Appa and Eomma were startled. What? She still was at gangster mode?

"Arasseo," the parents said before giving icy looks at the Korean literature teacher.

"Let's all get in and have fun, huh?" Jung Shin merrily said before escorting Shin Hye's parents in. 

Good thing for Yong Hwa, Min Hyuk was not in sight. But he had a villain to contend with.

"You're mine too, Sweetheart," Jong Hyun said to Shin Hye with his heartmelting smile.

But of course, our tomboy didn't buy it.

"We are made for each other, Jong Hyunnie," Shin Hye mocked him as she boxed him on his muscular arms. "I'm gonna bring you down someday."

"Are you done making some sadomasochistic affairs there?" Yong Hwa dryly asked them, calling their attention.

The two looked up to see Yong Hwa leaning by the doorpost, his arms crossed on his chest. Jong Hyun saw that his hyung did not seem to like the closeness he had with Shin Hye.

"Hyung, let's go inside," Shin Hye said as she ran towards Yong Hwa.

... leaving Jong Hyun alone again. He decided it was his bad luck today. 

"Am I always gonna torment myself into thinking that Sweetheart might like Min Hyuk or Yong Hwa-hyung?" Jong Hyun fumed to himself. "I'm outta here."

He went out of the house again to look for fights or hang out in bars and flirt with girls.

****

When Yong Hwa and Shin Hye went to the living room to catch some action flicks, Min Hyuk exited the kitchen to hang out with them while holding a tray of fresh fruits. Seeing the closeness of the two made his heart ache, but he was willing to be sweet in order to capture Shin Hye's heart.

"Nae Chingu, let's eat," he said to the English teacher.

"Ah, Hyukkie, let's share," Shin Hye said to Min Hyuk as she scooted to give him a seat.

Yong Hwa did not like it that Shin Hye was being too friendly with the Science teacher. Of course, people will really like Min Hyuk because he was a darling and a total gentleman.

"They are just friends... just friends," Yong Hwa thought bitterly. "Aish, why am I feeling this way?"

He was affected that Shin Hye was called "Sweetheart" by Jong Hyun, "Jagiya" by Jung Shin, and "Chingu" by Min Hyuk. He decided he should have another cool term for her besides "Dongsaengi." Too bad for him because nothing came to mind.

"Hyung, here's some pineapple," Hyukkie said to him as he handed his hyung a fork with pineapple on the tines.

"Gomawo," Yong Hwa said before taking the fork.

Shin Hye noticed that Yong Hwa was looking a bit pissed off. What she did not know was, Yong Hwa was battling inside. What was he really feeling for Shin Hye? If he looked at her as a tomboy dongsaeng, why did he felt annoyed at the attention that Shin Hye was getting from the other guys?

He just hated it.

He knew he treated her as his dongsaeng, but why did he not like the new feeling he was having?

****

Meanwhile, inside Shin Hye's room, the Park couple were counting money while talking about the boys.

"I like Yong Hwa for Shin Hye," Appa said.

"Na do," Eomma agreed. "Geunde, Min Hyuk is a good child. And Shin Hye deserves a good guy."

"Matda, matda," Appa affirmed. "And that Lee Jung Shin, tsk, he should cut his hair."

"Matda!" Eomma agreed. "I want him for our Min Young."

"But Min Young is older than him!" Appa complained.

"Do you think it is still the guy who is older in relationships these days? Yeobo, seriously," Eomma sneered.

"I think guys should be older!"

"Aish, old ways of thinking," Eomma murmured.

"Mworagu?" Appa asked.

"Nothing, I was just chewing air," Eomma said.

And the two breathed sighs.

"Geunde, what if Shin Hye will end up with that Lee Jong Hyun?" Eomma asked. "I seriously hate that child! After all the years that he spent breaking uri Shin Hye's teeth, he is going to live with her?"

"Ahhh, that I cannot understand," Appa said. "And why is Shin Hye being sweet to that guy?"

Eomma hit her temples, as if she had a bad thought.

"Omona, I don't like this thought!"

"About what?" Appa asked, and Eomma whispered it to him, making Appa laugh. "Ohohoho~ Geurae? That can make a tomboy into a girl?"

"Do you think Jong Hyun and uri Shin Hye had--- OMONA!!!! Andwae, andwae!!!!!" Eomma grimaced.

"Ahahahah, but frankly speaking, I don't want that kid to touch our little girl," Appa said. "If not, that Jong Hyun will seriously be a raccoon himself. He'll see."

Eomma giggled as Appa flexed his elderly muscles.

"Ahihihi, you should protect your daughter," Eomma said.

"Geurae!" replied the proud father.

"But for me, it should be Yong Hwa," Eomma said.

"Matda," Appa affirmed.

~~~~