“Ya Yoomi! Are you being serious?! We planned this already and you… ugh! Hand the phone to Minsoo! PPALLI!!” Sina raised her voice, ignoring people’s stare as she walked to their appointed place.

A second later, Minsoo’s sleepy voice could be heard. “Mwoya, Sina ya? I’m tired. I wanna sleep.”

“But we promised already! You couldn’t just cancel it in a last minute like this. I already arrived!” Sina protested.

“Just have fun with the others okay? Bye.”

“YA!”

Without waiting for Sina’s reply, Minsoo hung up. Sina looked at her phone in disbelief. She should have known!! Pushing her cellphone inside her sling bag, she continued walking. At least the others would be there.

She saw Niel standing with red hoodie and padded vest under the shades of tree and an antique-looking clock. She found herself thought that Niel did like red color and that he looked good in it. From this distance, she might use ‘pretty’ to describe Niel. With that light brown hair, pink full lips, long slender legs, tall, and… pretty. No wonder those girls were crazy about him.

She suddenly took a look at herself. She wore a one-piece pink dress and red hooded vest. Why did they wear couple-look attire like this?! She was happy knowing that they have almost similar fashion taste, but she was nervous too. They will make fun of us, Sina thought gloomily.  

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said when she reached him. She knew she wasn’t late, but she said it anyway.

“I just got here too,” Niel lied. He was too nervous for their ‘date’ and found himself got here 15 minutes earlier.

Niel couldn’t stop himself to stare at Sina. She let her wavy hair hang loose with an accent of small braids in one side. Her one-piece dress mixed with knee-length legging and sneakers, made her look both feminine and sporty. He particularly liked the red hooded vest.

“Noona looks pretty,” he said before he could stop it.

Sina blushed, hard. “Oh, geuraeyo? Hehe. Thank you,” she said with a smile.

Her mood suddenly went up again. Ever since that incident, she felt something weird whenever she was around him. She became unexplainably nervous and her heart beat a little bit faster when she looked at him in his eyes. Just like today. His smile made her heart fluttered.

Her phone rang, she quickly rummaged her bag and found it. A message from Yuri. Her face darkened as she read it. Niel saw it and asked, “what is it, noona?”

“Yuri said… she had to accompany her mother. So she couldn’t come.”

“Oh, Yuri noona too? Chanhee hyung called that he couldn’t come. He had to join the vocal class today. Byunghun hyung too.”

“Byunghun? Vocal? Since when did he join the vocal class?”

Sina couldn’t believe her ears. They were cancelling, just right before the meeting hour. They decided to wait for Changhyun and Jonghyun, but a minute later they called, telling that they couldn’t come. Before Sina could vent her wrath, Jonghyun screamed behind Changhyun telling him to hang up. They became unreachable after that.

Sina and Niel looked at each other, feeling awkward and totally stiff. What should they do now? Sina smelled something fishy about them. While Niel automatically understood the chance his friends giving him.

“Should we cancel today, noona?” Niel asked, worried that Sina might actually want to cancel that day ‘date’. But he was worried too that Sina might feel uncomfortable about this.

“Do you want to cancel it?” Sina felt the same.

This question confused Niel. There could be three options which he couldn’t predict the answers. But he quietly shook his head.

“Neither am I. So let’s just enjoy today. It’s their loss for not coming.”

They rose from the bench and walked to the theme park. Sina’s costume was exactly in match to Niel’s. She had no problem following Niel’s lead who wanted to try everything. Sometimes Niel would pluck his courage and casually held Sina’s hand for a minute then let go. He did it as casual as possible just like Changhyun’s, although when he did, he started getting nervous and his heart beat crazily. Little did he know, it made Sina’s heart race too.

When they were tired of playing the attractions, they leisurely walked along the European-like shopping district. Sina made a stop in front of a pet shop displaying animals. She looked at the owls in awe.

“Look, Niel. The owls look real cute! I wanna pet it,” Sina said.

A date—if he might call it that way—was enlightening for him. He got to know Sina’s new side he had never seen at school. Usually she just smiled or casually replied without giving much reaction. That day she was different. She screamed, she laughed, she squealed over cute things. And it made him like her more.

“Do you like owl, noona?”

Sina nodded excitedly. “But my mom rejected. She said I’m too busy to have a pet. Have to study and all. I always wanted to have an owl since I read Harry Potter.”

Niel’s eyes rounded. “You like Harry Potter too, noona?!”

“You too? It’s been a part of my life since I was a kid!”

“When I went to London, I came to Platform 9 ¾ and it was real cool!”

“I’ve never been out of Korea. I wish I can travel around the world someday.”

Niel couldn’t believe his ears. “Noona… want to travel around the world?”

She nodded again. “Yes! I always want to do it after I graduated. I wanna see a lot of new places…”

“I do too! It’s my dream to travel the world!” Niel said, couldn’t content his excitement.

“You too?! Omo! Let’s travel together then!”

Her words literally choked him. He always dreamt of travelling around the world with his lover, and proposed her in their last destination. Gazing at Sina’s beautiful almond-shaped eyes, when he thought of this, destiny might have brought them two together. “Are you serious, noona?”

Sina nodded again, too overwhelmed to answer. She just found someone who talked as excitedly as her about traveling the world.

“Let’s make a promise, noona,” Niel said, raised his pinky finger. “That we will go travel the world together.”

Without hesitation, Sina intertwined her finger with his. “I promise.”

And they spent the next hour by talking about Harry Potter and their country destinations in their future. They continued talking while window-shopping. It was fun as Niel had a lot in his mind about his travel already.

They stopped in an Italian restaurant. But they bought take-out lunch to be eaten outdoor. The weather that day was so nice that both agreed it would be a waste to spend that day inside a restaurant.

Sina was setting up the menu from the restaurant and the lunchbox—salad for Jonghyun and kimbab—she made in a vacant picnic table outside when Niel suddenly stood up. He told her that he needed to use the toilet, so he walked away.

When he’s gone, having no one to talk to, Sina reached her phone and join their group chat in Ktalk. She sent an image of the lunch they would have with a special message: “you missed your kimbab, Changhyun.” A minute later, replies flooded the group chat.

Suddenly, the image on her phone was replaced by something big, white, fluffy thing.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Sina noona.”

A stuffed owl. Niel held an owl plushie, handed it to Sina.

“Oh! Neomu kwiyeowo!!” Sina squealed, as Niel smiled.

“This is to replace the owl you couldn’t have, noona,” he said.

Sina turned her head in surprise. Niel was looking at her, with that gentle look, just as that day in the clinic. She blushed. “Oh? This is for me?” Niel nodded, still wouldn’t take off his eyes from hers. “Jinjja? For me? Oh my God, Niel…. You shouldn’t have to do this.”

The owl plushie was as big as the real one. White in color, just like Hedwig. This might be expensive. Suddenly Sina felt bad receiving it. She handed it back to Niel.

“I couldn’t accept this…” she said. “I don’t have anything in exchange.”

“Noona, I bought him for you. Just accept it and say thank you. Or smile for me. That’s enough.”

Sina blushed again. From his look, he was implying he wouldn’t accept a ‘No’ as the answer.

“Aww… why are you being so cheesy?? Alright, thank you so much, Ahn Daniel ssi.”

Niel laughed along Sina. “I also bought this.” Niel pulled out two rilakuma charms. He handed one to Sina.

“You gave me too many things! Thank you. I’ll treasure this.”

Niel smiled happily. ‘Treasure’ sounded so sweet in his ears. “Have you thought of a name for him?” he asked.

Sina looked at Niel. “A name? Umm… what about…” she paused, thinking. Looking at the owl plushie. “What about Ahnda?”

“Ahnda? Waeyo?”

“It’s from your name. and because he’s so huggable.” Sina hugged Ahnda lovingly.

Niel felt the urge to hug her too. He could still remember her body in his arms. Her hair smelled like flowers. Her wavy smooth hair. Her fragile shoulder. He snapped out of his mind when suddenly Sina touched his hand.

“Let’s take selca and make them envy us,” she said.

Sina told Niel to tie the charm in his finger and she did the same. Both held the charm as if showing off their wedding ring, with Ahnda of course. And sent the picture in group chat.

As she stared at Niel closely—who was busy attaching the charm on their phones—Sina realized one thing, and her heart paced when she thought of this. All those sweet things he did for her. All those heart beat whenever they’re close. Her flushed cheeks seeing his smile and eyes. She might have fallen for this young man.