Karen's POV

"Hmm what shall I order?"

"Give us two ramens please, thanks," Jiho told the ahjumma.

"Sunbaenim, why are you ordering for me?" I asked, annoyed. "Let me choose."

"Hey, it's the only thing I can afford here."

"I didn't ask you to pay."

"YA ya," he grabbed the menu away from me. "Let me pay. For the kiss and everything." 

I felt irked that he kept bringing that up. I didn't want to pursue the topic further so I kept my lips shut.

"Where do you want to go after this?" 

"Back to school," I exclaimed, shocked that he even suggested we skip the whole day. "You do realize skipping school is a big crime?! I don't even know what I'm doing eating with you here."

After the whole crying drama, Jiho invited me to eat since we missed the first portion of our lessons. I agreed to it merely because there did not seem any point going to class with red, puffy eyes. Hana definitely wouldn't let that detail go.

"Aah, loosen up," he muttered and stretched out his neck sideways. He glanced at me. "Your face looks horrible after crying."

"I know," I mumbled, resting my left cheek on my arm on the table. "I've got a bad headache too. I can't go home. I don't feel like going to school. Ugh. I hate crying."

I felt something warm push hair strands away from my right cheek. "You just need fresh air, that's all," Jiho said.

My insides squirmed but surprisingly in a good way. Then I remembered all the harsh things he has said to me and my body went cold.

"Here's your ramen," the ahjumma said, placing two steaming bowls in front of us.

"I never eat ramen with women," Jiho claimed between slurps. "So you are my first, in a way."

The word 'first' made me annoyed but I ignored it. "Not even with your mum?" I asked in disbelief.

"Ay, I'm not talking about family. I'm talking about women women."

"I'm not even sure what you mean."

"I only eat with my crew."

His crew? "Yukwon...that crew?" I sighed after mentioning his name.

"What's with the sigh?" Jiho asked, raising his eyebrow. "What's wrong with my crew?"

"Nothing," I shook my head. "They're really nice, especially Yukwon." Jiho shifted his position opposite me. "But I told him I didn't want to be friends with him anymore. I don't want to be friends with your crew anymore."

Jiho stared at me curiously.

"Did they do something to you?" he finally asked.

"No!" I exclaimed, realizing that he was quite unaware of what my problem was. It was him. "It's because I don't want to meet you. Ever. Again."

His expression was hurt but he shook it off coolly. "But we're okay now, right?"

I didn't think about that. I leaned back against my chair and watched him as he ate. Were we cool? I wasn't sure. What if this was only momentary?

What if later he started hurting my feelings? Kissing me randomly now that he was over the first kiss thing? I shuddered at the thought and resolutely stated, "Nope. We're not okay. This would be my last conversation with you," I smiled brightly. "Let me buy you a drink for our final conversation! Ahjumma, two bottles of water please!"

"Pfft, two bottles of water? Is that how you celebrate?"

"I'm not getting you drunk. In case you forgot, the last time you were drunk--"

"Can't we be okay?" he suddenly interjected with a serious tone. 

I think we could, the thought crossed my mind. If you always acted like this. But he doesn't, does he? He never even apologized for everything that he did.

"Let's just be strangers," I said, giving him his bottle of water.