Dinner time.

The table was circular, so Min Hyuk was able to see Shin Hye's silly facial expression on Yong Hwa. Shin Hye, who was a certified tomboy, was gaping while watching Yong Hwa, who was silently eating his meal. The eldest of the crew saw her like this, and snapped her out of it.

"Why are you staring at me?" there went his cold voice.

"Ah....nothing..." Shin Hye stuttered, solidifying her voice.

Min Hyuk smiled. "Please do not be angry with nae chingu, Hyung. She is just memorizing your face."

"And what is there to memorize in my face?" Yong Hwa asked the chinky-eyed guy. "Equations?"

Min Hyuk smiled again in that princely way of his, but this time, at Shin Hye.

"Please do not be intimidated with Hyung," he explained. "He may seem cold, but he is kind."

To this, Yong Hwa replied, "No chocolates for you, Min Hyuk."

"Oh, but it was not me asking for them, it was Jong Hyun-hyung," Min Hyuk replied calmly.

Through all these, Shin Hye was no longer able to speak. had been drained dry like some being had turned into a sun and caused drought to . Yong Hwa saw her in this state and continued eating.

"Hyung, maybe you may need new clothes," Min Hyuk suggested. "Maybe you did not have new ones back in Vienna."

For Min Hyuk knew how frugal Yong Hwa can get, as opposed to the extravagant Jung Shin.

"Jung Shin-i aniya (I am not Jung Shin)," Yong Hwa replied. "My clothes are fine as they are, thank you very much."

Shin Hye suddenly remembered about Jung Shin going over to her noona's botique, so she piped up, but in incomprehensible sounds. She had no idea that she had spoken with full, and Yong Hwa'e eyes popped out to see bits of rice flying in all directions. He snapped his hand on the table and told her in exasperation.

"Are you even a teacher?"

"Nge?" Shin Hye asked, still full.

"Swallow your food," he instructed her coldly. "I cannot understand a single thing that you said."

Shin Hye struggled to swallow her food, so Min Hyuk told him about Marguerite Vodka. But the last word was drowned when Shin Hye began to cough. She reached for a glass of water and drank, and Min Hyuk crawled next to her to hit her back with his palm. He had a very worried look on his face.

"Chingu, gwaenchanha?" Min Hyuk asked in panic.

Shin Hye was obviously in a state of calamity, with Hyukkie panicking, but Yong Hwa was still calm as he ate his beans.

"Aigoo, who would have thought that disaster will greet me by the time I get home?" he asked no one in particular.

"Mal hajima, Hyung (Don't say that)!" Min Hyuk said, raising his voice. He had never been this angry, and it puzzled Yong Hwa.

"Why are you angry?" he asked calmly.

"You always see everything as a disaster," Min Hyuk frowned. "You even say that Jong Hyun-hyung is a medical disaster, and Jung Shin is a fashion disaster. Change your mindset, Hyung."

"Aside from me, I think you are the only normal person around here, Hyukkie," Yong Hwa said. Then, glaring at Shin Hye, who was tearing up with all the coughing, he continued. "And this one here, is a gender disaster."

"Hyung!" Min Hyuk lashed out, getting even more upset.

Yong Hwa got up, but so did Shin Hye. She rushed to him and gave him a good beating, like the way she always did to Jong Hyun.

"I take it as an insult!" she cried out.

No tears well up her eyes usually when someone insults her ual preference to be a tomboy, but this one did. She felt it had hurt her a lot because she was trying to make him look at her, but he seemed not to like her because of her preference. Could he just accept her for who she is?

As her fists landed on Yong Hwa's face, tears suddenly streamed down, making Min Hyuk astonished.

"Take this!" she screamed.

But before another batch of fists landed, Yong Hwa held her fist and shoved her off. Her face was wet with tears, but his face was still as solid as a rock.

"Why do you hate it if there is a tomboy around here? Does it also annoy you that Jung Shin is being gay?" Shin Hye shouted at him.

"Hyung!" another voice piped up.

It was Jong Hyun. He ran to Shin Hye and helped her sit down. When he saw blood on Yong Hwa's lips, Jong Hyun should have been happy that some loser had been taken down with Shin Hye's fist. The real thing was, Jong Hyun was not happy at all.

"What did you do to her?" Jong Hyun asked angrily.

"Is that how you greet your hyung who just came in this day?" came Yong Hwa's monotonous reply.

"Hyung, it is only I who has the authority to box Shin Hye, and to receive her punches, got that?" he told his hyung jealously.

"Ara. So tell her to give her fists to you, not to me," Yong Hwa said.

"Hyung!" a merry greeting greeted them.

It was Jung Shin. He had heard the commotion, so he walked calmly and with a happy face to the kitchen. Both of his hands were bundled with lots and lots of paper bags from Marguerite Vodka.

"What's the big deal over here?" he asked everyone with a merry tone.

Min Hyuk explained for everyone, and Jung Shin dropped his gifts before approaching Yong Hwa happily.

"Bogo shipeo, Appa," Jung Shin said, giving his hyung a big hug.

"Tsh." Yong Hwa said.

"Yong Hwa-hyung is Appa, Hyukkie is Eomma," Jung Shin said. "Jong Hyun-hyung is hyung, and Shin Hye is noona."

Shin Hye did not react to the flamboyant guy's remark, though if she had, she would have hated being called noona.

"So, do not quarrel, arasseo?" Jung Shin perked up.

Everyone but him had sober facial expressions, so he got up and got his paper bags. He handed each of them with some of his purchases.

"For you, for you, for you... and for you..." he told everyone.

All of them received their gifts and looked at inside the bags. Yong Hwa received a cream-colored long-sleeved shirt with light brown diagonal stripes. Min Hyuk received a grey trench coat. Shin Hye received a royal blue long-sleeved shirt (for females!) with a light blue flower accent at the chest area, and Jong Hyun received a brown pea coat. All of them gazed up to him, who smiled his sweetest at them.

"Do you know? I feel complete with all of you," Jung Shin announced. "Without my parents, I feel so lonely... and I do not have any siblings. To you, though we are not related by blood, I found my family and brothers in you. To me, Yong Hwa-hyung is both my appa and my hyung, Hyukkie is my eomma, Jong Hyun-hyung is hyung, and Shin Hye is noona. So, do not fight, jebal?"

Shin Hye's ears want to burst when Jung Shin called her "noona" again, but she kept shut. Just this twice, she had to bear with Jung Shin making her into a girl that she physically is. She looked at Yong Hwa, who looked back at her. To her astonishment, Yong Hwa went to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Mianhae, I was being hard on you," he said coldly. "I should not have done that."

Shin Hye was tongue-tied after he apologized, and she saw him get up and left the kitchen.

"Hyung!" Jung Shin called him, pointing to his gift.

When everyone was calm, Jung Shin smiled again.

"Oh well, I can always give this to him tomorrow," he said enthusiastically. When he noticed Jong Hyun kneeling beside Shin Hye, he spoke up, "Hyung, I thought you went to the movies."

"Na... the movies ," the hyung replied.

The rough guy tried to assist Shin Hye to stand, but Shin Hye, being the tomboy that she is, refused his hand and stood up by herself. To this, Hyukkie looked at the pair in pain.

"Oi, let us wash the dishes already," Jong Hyun said to dissipate the silence.

"Food!" Jung Shin screamed merrily. "Meokja, huh?"

And the four of them sat down by the low table and continued to eat. Good thing, Yong Hwa cooked for five.

****

Shin Hye was lying on her bed, contemplating on the event that had occurred earlier that evening. Her heart ached that her cold prince was being cold to her. Why does love hurt? First, it was Yoo Bi, the first love that she had always known, and probably, Jong Hyun's first love too. And then, this other feeling for Yong Hwa, which was a first, hurt so much that it was gnawing her heart so bad.

"Why is he like that? Why does he shun me away?" she asked.

Strumming of the guitar could be heard from the other room--not Jong Hyun's room. She got out of bed and leaned to the wall, listening to the other side. A husky voice was singing to "Collide"  by Howie Day. Her eyes popped out in shock, her heart raced, went dry, her brain got blank, and she was stuck in place.

See what infatuation or love can do? They are two different things, but they feel the same.

Anyway, Shin Hye listened to the whole song, not knowing what to do. She put her hand on her chest and felt the palpable beating of her heart.

"Yong Hwa-hyung... can this be love?"

When she realized how painful love can get, tears started streaming down. She caressed the walls separating her room and Yong Hwa's room, and as he continued to sing, she pressed her lips to the wall and gave it a soft, tender kiss.

"This kiss.... this is my kiss for you, Yong Hwa..." she thought in pain and tears. "Though I had my share of crushes and first love, I never had my first kiss... I wish you'll be mine..."

****

From the other side of the room, near the stairs. Jong Hyun was lying on bed in his dark room, contemplating on why Yong Hwa should hurt his best nemesis.

"I've fallen in love with Shin Hye..." Jong Hyun thought.

He shook his head.

"Ani...ani... she will always be my enemy. The two of us will look out for cute and y girls, and fight over them to see who's winner... ani... ani... I cannot fall in love with an enemy!"

He was caught between his affection for her and his hate for her, so he decided to let it go and sleep instead. But the thoughts still bothered him, so he looked at the wall dividing his room and Shin Hye's room.

"Will...will you look at me?"

****

The romantic and princely Min Hyuk played some of his composed music with his flute. Though he taught Science, his favorite hobby is music. Now, the song he had written was all about broken love and the hardship of letting go. His flute went out of tune because he suddenly sniffled, letting tears fall down. Why did it bother him that Yong Hwa insulted Shin Hye? And why did it bother him that Jong Hyun had been there for Shin Hye all along?

"I'll continue to look at you even if you are walking ten steps ahead of me... I will watch your back and protect you.... I will spread my arms behind you and be your shield...so whoever should attack you, I'll take the hit."

Hyukkie felt the pain tearing his heart piece by piece, and it was hurting him so bad that he sobbed and choked in his tears. He looked like a child who just lost his best friend, a best friend that will leaving for London for an indefinite period of time. To muffle his sobs, he lay on his stomach and hid his face on his pillow. Later, he rolled over and lay on his back. He stared at the ceiling above him, knowing that the room above belongs to Shin Hye.

"I will protect you and care for you... I will be your shadow... I hope you realize that shadows exist," he thought in his anguish. "Chingu, can you feel my heart?"

****

Despite all these, Yong Hwa never noticed that there were three hearts aching in a complicated manner. He knew that Jong Hyun and Shin Hye were fighting buddies because he often heard it from him and from Jung Shin, but he did not know that Jong Hyun started to like Shin Hye. He also did not know that the warm-hearted and comfortable Min Hyuk was liking a cold-hearted tomboy like Shin Hye. And most of all...

He had no idea that Shin Hye liked him so much...

So much that she was hurting that he discriminated her preference.

He had no idea because he was cold and aloof, and wanted to have space just for himself. And he preferred the distance in his room so that no one will distract him when he will be composing some songs.

****

Jung Shin, meanwhile, was enjoying playing Plants Vs. Zombies all by himself, laughing and kicking the air. When all the zombies were exterminated, he sat up straight and mused at the events that night., and he complained to himself.

"Sigh... I wish I had not given all the clothes I bought! I could have settled for all the pants... Why do they have to look so gorgeous online? I ended up buying things I just gave away!"

But he sat up even straighter and commended himself for being generous. Just this once, he was being generous.

"But oh, something burning's up with Yong Hwa-hyung and Shin Hye!" he mused to himself. "I can sense Shin Hye is the type to do what she wants... So for now, since I had disturbed her with the thought that only Yong Hwa-hyung will change her, she will do all she can to prove my words... Kekekekek... So smart of you, Lee Jung Shin."

As his level on the video game accelerated, he could not help but be elated.

"I will be a good boy for now. I will not mess up even with Jong Hyun-hyung and Hyukkie...but just so, I don't want them ruining my plans... As for Shin Hye, I will leave her alone, and I will wait for the day that she will come to me for advice and help. Kekekekekek... Kahi-noona, just you wait for me... You will be mine, and Yong Hwa-hyung will never be with you."

~~~~