“You are unusually…quiet,” I told Yerin who’s quietly staring at the side street, sitting on the passenger seat.

We we’re on our way home, riding my red car. I can’t help but notice Yerin’s solemn face as she stared outside the window.

“Anything wrong?” I asked again.

No reply. What’s wrong? I’m totally lost.

“Yerin, are you okay?”

“Fine…” she finally said.

“Why are you so silent?” I asked.

“Clueless…” she whispered, but I still heard it.

Clueless…about what? I thought we had a good time; I thought she had a good time. She was fine before I kissed her on…the…

“Are you mad at me because I kissed you?” I asked. “I kissed you before…on the hand.”

But she was silent, still.

“Yerin, let’s talk.”

Yerin was rushing to her bedroom soon as I closed the front door. A loud bang of her bedroom door was her only reply.

“Come on, you are THAT mad?”

“Leave me alone,” I heard her say.

“I don’t understand this. It was just a peck on the cheek…”

Her door opened and her glaring eyes darted at me.

“Why are you mad at me?” I asked.

“I’m not mad at you; I’m mad at myself,” she said, eyes still glaring.

“About what?”

She walked out of her room and went to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. She drank the contents until it was half empty.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked again. “Talk to me.”

“I liked the kiss…”

Brain dead…I was brain dead. My head was not functioning. What did she just said? Okay, I’m hearing things.

“I hate myself for liking that kiss. I’m not supposed to…”

“Wait a sec… you liked it but you’re not supposed to? What does that even mean?” I asked.

Yerin walked again, heading towards the living room. I followed behind her.

“Will you stop walking and talk to me?” I said, getting annoyed.

She sat on the couch and stared at the coffee table. I sat next to her, this time holding her arm so that she’ll not walk off again.

“Spill.”

“I told you before; I’m not ready to fall in love. I’m supposed to be focusing on my teaching career, my re-interview with Kyeonghee. But darn it!” she yelled. “Why the hell did I like it?”

I stared at her, gripping tighter.

“Are you falling in love with me?” I asked.

Yerin stared back. “I don’t know…”

She looked confused.

“Tell me the truth. Do you like me?” I asked, heart beating a little faster.

“Yes, I do like you,” she said without hesitation.

“Do you love me?”

She paused.

“Do you love me?” I repeated. “Shin Yerin, do you love me? Please tell me the truth; I’m dying to know.”

She looked away, but…

“I think…I am falling for you.”

I loosened my grip. And at the top of my lungs, I yelled out my happiness.

“YAHOO! SHIN YERIN LOVES ME!”

I don’t know whether to run, to jump, to dance, to sing, to lie down, to hit my head on the wall or what not. I was too happy; I want to hear it over and over again.

“Say it again,” I said, looking at her, now, amused face.

“I think I’m falling…in love…with you.”

Again, I yelled out, “I LOVE YOU TOO, SHIN YERIN!”

Yerin stood up from the couch and pulled my down from the coffee table (as I was standing on top of it; by the way, the table was made of glass).

“Will you calm down?” Yerin said, smiling. “You’re crazy, Kim Heechul.”

“You’re making me crazy,” I said; she frowned. “A good kind of crazy.”

She smiled shyly.

“So…” I said, starting to calm down. I sat on the couch and Yerin sat beside me.

“So what?” she asked.

“Can I kiss you again?”

She was dumbfounded. “What?!” she yelled.

“Well you said you love me,” I defended.

“No, no, no, no, no, no…”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. “I thought you love me.”

“I…do…but…”

Finally, I hugged her tight.

“I was just kidding. I know you’re STILL not comfortable.”

She hugged me back. “You’re not hard to fall in love with after all.”

“When did you start liking me?” I asked.

“I don’t know…”

“There goes that I don’t know again.”

“Since the accident, I guess.”

“Wait,” I said pulling away from our hug. “What did you say?”

“Since you wisely drunk-drive and met an accident.”

“I confessed to you in the hospital…”

“Oh, yeah,” she said shyly.

“And you rejected me.”

“Hey!” she said. “I did not.”

“Did to!” I answered back. “So, for that long…after all this time…you liked me. Why did it take that long?”

“Why should you kiss me? I was not going to tell, but you…oops.”

“Yah! Come here!” I said hugging her again. “So you we’re going to hide it from me? Why?”

“I thought it’s not going to work out.”

“What is?” I asked.

“Me and you.”

“Trust me…it will.”

“Coffee?” I asked as Heechul came out of his room. I was beside the coffee maker, standing in front of the kitchen island (as usual), when he came out.

“Good morning, my angel,” Heechul greeted, as he automatically came closer to the kitchen island (as it was our every morning spot).

I feel uneasy. “Don’t call me that,” I said.

“What? My angel?” he scrunched his nose. “Why? It’s a good nickname.”

“Seriously?” I said, almost disgusted. “Don’t call me that?”

“What should I call you then?” he asked, sitting on the chair. “Teacher Shin?”

“I’m more comfortable with that,” I said.

“No way,” he said, taking the mug of coffee that I put down on the counter top.

“Anything but ‘my angel’,” I told him.

Heechul, after a sip from his mug of coffee, gave me smirk. “My love.”

“Oh no. Definitely not!”

“What should I call you then?” he asked. “Madam? My princess? My queen?”

“Stop that! I’m getting goosebumps.”

“Princess Charming?” he said with a grin.

“What?” I asked, still disgusted.

“What? I’m Cinderella, right?”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Scratch that, crazy. Definitely.”

Heechul stood up from his seat and walked towards me. “Princess Charming,” he said cutely.

“Disgusting…” I whispered to myself. “Yah, Kim Heechul.”

Conversation…cut. Heechul wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back and stayed in each other’s arms for a while.

“I can stay like this forever,” he whispered to my ear.

“I can’t,” I said.

He pulled back. “Why not?”

“I’m cooking breakfast,” I said with a mischievous smile.

And…he hugged me again. “That can wait.”

“Okay, stop. I need to cook breakfast,” I said, trying to let go.

“I don’t want to eat,” he said. “I only need you to live.”

That is, OFFICIALLY, the cheesiest line ever uttered on the face of the earth.

“Hey!” he jumped, when I pinched his tummy. “That tickled,” he said.

Aha, weak point!

“Keep me from cooking and I’ll kill you.”

With a sweet smile, he moved away and sat back to his seat.

“So, it’s Sunday. What should we do?”

“Stay at home,” I said, taking a pan out of the pantry. “Watch TV all day.”

“Good idea; let’s do that,” Heechul said.

“Don’t you have a schedule?” I asked.

“None,” he simply said. He stood up and took his coffee to the living room, sat on the couch and turned the TV on.

Nice Kim Heechul. You could have helped me cook OUR breakfast. Look at him, sitting on the couch, his feet up on the coffee table, sipping coffee like he’s the king of the world. Come to think of it, he thinks he owns the world. He thinks he owns everyone. Sheesh, love is irrational. Here I am, the supposedly diligent teacher who fell in love with the most obnoxious man in South Korea. Not to mention he’s a celebrity.

Well, I will not fall for him if he’s all negative, right? Sometimes, despite the insufferable attitude, he can make my heart flutter. I hate to admit it, but this crazy Cinderella…really made me fall for him. With just one kiss, he made me realize that I was stupid; stupid for not realizing the truth; stupid for hiding the truth.

I didn’t mean to hide it. I want to know it myself, as in, as I was assessing my feelings, like some test paper I just graded F.

But Cinderella is not an F; he’s B- going A.

After I finished cooking some pancakes, I walked to the living room with a plateful of it and handed it to Heechul.

“Here you go, Cinderella,” I said with a smile.

“Thank you, Princess Charming,” he also said with a smile. He patted the couch beside him, telling me to sit next to him.

I did. And what seemed to be a split second, I was again in his arms.

“I love you, Yerin,” he said, his voice sincere and calm.

I was silent.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” he asked.

Instead, I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a peck on his pink cheek. I think that do the trick.

“Don’t make me say things I can’t say,” I said mischievously.

“It’s okay. Don’t tell me; just show me.”

Then, both of us laughed. Laughing in each other’s arms, feeling ecstatic with the brush of each other’s skin, and in complete happiness just being with each other; I never ask for this, but it feels so good.

I don’t know why, but being in his company, in his arms, made me comfortable. He can make me do things I didn’t dare do before. But it was worth it.

“Eat, now,” I told him.

“Yes, Maam,” he said with a smile, taking the plate of pancakes he put down on the table. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I feel full just seeing you.”

Heechul smiled. Kim Heechul, do you really think I can’t come up with cheesy lines as well?

______________________________________________________________________

Okay, I'm lost. 

I hope you guys like this update. I know you've been asking for Yerin to just admit her feelings...well, here you go. 

Don't forget to comment, alright? :) :) :) :P

~Crina