“Oh yeah, Yonghwa-ssi, could we stop there for a moment? My mom told me to buy some groceries on the way back,” Seohyun pointed at a convenience store in front of them.

Yonghwa slowed down his bike, and headed towards the convenience store. “Sure, I’ll help you,”

They went inside, and Seohyun produces a list of things to buy from her pocket. “Hmm, let’s see..”

“You need any help with that?” Yonghwa offered.

“Hmm? Ah, sure. Could you help get the bread, peanut butter, and..” Seohyun checked her list. “..a few packs of ‘chipsmore’?”

“Sure,” Yonghwa nodded his head. “Are these what your family have for breakfast?”

“Y-yeah, how did you know?” Seohyun asked.

“Lucky guess,” Yonghwa smiled slightly.

When both of them already got what they were looking for, they went up to the counter to pay. “Oh yeah, could you wait for a moment?” Seohyun asked the cashier, before dashing away to get some drinks. “Here, add these two to the total,”

“Are those on the list?” Yonghwa asked.

“Nope, but my mom gave me 3000 won, and there’s more than enough balance to get a drink or two,”

Yonghwa frowned. “You shouldn’t have done that. Here, I’ll pay for the drinks,”

“No really, it’s okay, I’ll pay,” insisted Seohyun, much to Yonghwa’s displeasure. After paying for the groceries, the both of them went out of the store. “Here, take it,” Seohyun handed him the drink.

“Thanks,” Yonghwa said, as he accepted the drink. “Coffee.. thanks,”

“Hehe, I know how much you like your coffee,” Seohyun said. “Here, have a seat,” Seohyun motioned for him to sit next to her on a bench.

Yonghwa sat down next to her, and then looked up at the stars. “Wah, the moon sure is happy today, huh?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I meant that,” Yonghwa pointed towards the crescent moon in the sky. “See, it’s smiling,”

Seohyun looked puzzled for a while, before she understood what he was talking about. “Ah, you mean the crescent moon?” chuckled Seohyun. She then glanced back at the moon. “Actually, if you look at it sideways, you could also say that the moon’s frowning,”

“I guess it’s a case of looking at the glass ‘half-full’ or ‘half-empty’,” Yonghwa quoted.

Seohyun looked at him for a moment. “You sure have a lot of those philosophical quotes, huh?”

“What can I say, I’m a philosophical guy,”

Seohyun smiled. “Okay, give me another one of your quotes,”

Yonghwa thought for a moment. “How about, ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’?”

Seohyun thought for a moment. “I don’t understand,”

“It means, we always see someone else’s stuff to be prettier than ours,” Yonghwa explained.

“Ah, I see! It makes sense,” Seohyun said excitedly. Seohyun stared at her drink for a moment. “Yonghwa-ssi, did Hyosung and Kikwang get into a fight earlier?”

Yonghwa stared at her. “You’re pretty sharp when it comes to your friends huh?” Yonghwa said. “I don’t know the details, but pretty much, yeah,”

Seohyun looked troubled. “I hope it’s nothing serious,”

Yonghwa smiled softly. “Hey Seohyun,”

“Hmm?”

“That song you’re writing right now,”

“What about it?”

“When you’ve finished it, can I be the first to hear it?” Yonghwa asked.

Seohyun blushed slightly. “W-why do you ask?”

“Well, I just think its sweet how you care so much about your friends, and I wanna see how you express it in your song,” explained Yonghwa.

Seohyun blushed. “I-I see,” stuttered Seohyun. There was a long pause before she continued. “Er.. Yonghwa-ssi, a-actually, about the song.. I haven’t been entirely truthful about it,”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Seohyun hesitated. “W-well.., to a certain extent, it is my way of saying thanks to my friends..,” Seohyun said slowly. “But.. for the most part, I was really trying to express my gratitude to just one person..,”

Yonghwa thought for a moment. “Then you’d probably want that person to hear it first,” Yonghwa concluded. “Which means I’m probably gonna have to settle for being second,”

“Yes, and no,” Seohyun said slowly.

Yonghwa gave her a puzzled look.

“W-well, I want that person to hear it first.., but you don’t have to settle for being second. I want you to be the first one to listen to my song, because you’re the one I’m trying to say thanks to,”

It took a few moments for her words to register inside his head. “M-me?”

Seohyun nodded. “Yes, you,”

“W-why? I didn’t do anything for you,” Yonghwa said, fumbling with the words inside his mouth.

Seohyun smiled softly. “No, you actually did more than you care to admit,” Seohyun said. “To you music is not just entertainment. Music is your life, your passion. Music is how you express yourself. You showed me what music was to you, and how beautiful it can be. You shared with me a part of your life, and taught me how to appreciate music. That music is everywhere, and we need to only close our eyes and listen, to hear the music around us,” she said slowly.

“After spending time with you, Yonghwa-ssi, I realized there’s so much more to it that I still didn’t understand, and still haven’t. I want to learn more about it, and I wouldn’t know all of this if it wasn’t for you. That’s why I feel so thankful to you. I’m thanking you for trusting me with a part of your life, and also opening up a whole new world for me,” she concluded. “Not to mention the fact that you taught me how to play a guitar, and helped me when I was in trouble,”

Yonghwa stayed silent for a while. “I-I see..,”

“Whew, that’s a load off my chest!” Seohyun let out a sigh of relief. “I guess it would’ve had a bigger impact if I told you about this, after you heard it, huh?” Seohyun asked.

Yonghwa gave her a small smile. “Yeah.. I guess it would,”

“Sorry, I just had so much trouble keeping it a secret. I’m not really good at keeping secrets, I get troubled easily,” Seohyun joked.

“It’s okay,” Yonghwa assured her.

“Well, now that I’ve finished telling you what it is, let’s make sure to finish it as early as possible, so that you can listen to my first ever song,” Seohyun said excitedly.

Yonghwa smiled awkwardly. “Yeah sure,”

Seohyun noticed how awkward he was. “Yonghwa-ssi, are you okay?” Seohyun asked, concerned.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine!” Yonghwa said hurriedly.

Seohyun looked own at her drink. “If this is about the song, I’m sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have done it without asking you first,” Seohyun apologized. “I’m sorry if you didn’t like me writing a song for you,”

“N-No!” Yonghwa denied hurriedly. “O-of course it’s okay! In fact I’m honored that you’d write a song for me!” Yonghwa insisted.

“Then why do you look troubled?”

“N-no.., it’s just.., I’ve never had someone composed a song for me, so I guess I’m kinda having trouble to fully register it right now,” Yonghwa said slowly.

“I’m sorry,”

“N-no, no, it’s okay! I’m the one who should say sorry, since you went through all this trouble for me,” Yonghwa said.

“So, Yonghwa-ssi, will you help finish it?”

Yonghwa smiled softly at her. “Yeah, sure. I’ll make sure it’s the best song anyone have ever heard,” promised Yonghwa. He looked at his watch. “It’s getting late, we should be getting home by now,”

Seohyun nodded his head. “Yeah,”

Yonghwa guzzled down the remainder of his drink, before throwing it away. “Come on, let’s go,”

When they reached his bike, Yonghwa noticed that every time he saw her, his heart starts beating faster. ‘Why am I feeling nervous?’

Seohyun turned back to look at him. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing. It’s nothing,” Yonghwa shook it off, before getting on his bicycle. “Are you ready?”

Seohyun adjusted herself before hugging him slightly from the back. “Okay ready,”

Yonghwa felt a jolt ran up through his spine. He shook it off, before he cycled away from the shop. While on their way, he slowly found it becoming harder and harder to breath. Yonghwa shook his head, to clear up his head. “Wow, the air tonight sure is thin, huh?” he asked Seohyun.

“Huh?”

“Nothing, forget I mentioned it,” Yonghwa shook his head. “Hey, we’re running a bit late, mind if I speed up a bit?”

“Ok, sure,” Seohyun nodded, before hugging him tighter to secure herself.

Yonghwa could feel his face becoming hotter and it became increasingly difficult for him to breathe. “Seohyun, don’t you feel like its a bit hot tonight?”

Seohyun looked at him in awe. “Wah..! I feel like it’s freezing tonight, and you feel it’s hot? Yonghwa-ssi, you’re amazing,”

Yonghwa saw the road started spinning slightly, and felt his heart beating furiously. ‘Argh! What’s wrong with me?! I can’t be sick!’ His breath started coming in pants, and he started sweating profusely.

“Are you okay, Yonghwa-ssi?” Seohyun suddenly asked.

Yonghwa decided to stop by the road, to take a breather. “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Yonghwa waved her off.

“Are you sure?” Seohyun asked, jumping off his bike, and letting go of him. She stood in front of him and looked at his face. “You don’t seem okay, are you sick?”

Immediately, his breath started becoming normal, and his vision cleared. Yonghwa was slightly startled himself, by the sudden recovery.

“Wow.., the color’s returning to your skin,” remarked Seohyun. “Maybe it’s because I was holding on to you too tightly, you were suffocating,”

“I-I’m ok now. Come on, let’s go,” Yonghwa said kindly.

“You sure? Here, let me check. Maybe you’ve caught a flu or something,” concerned Seohyun.

As soon as her hand touched his forehead, he felt a sudden jolt. Out of reflex, he shied away from her hands.

Seohyun seemed surprised by his sudden reaction. “I..I’m sorry,” Seohyun apologized.

Yonghwa felt really confused by his own reactions. ‘What am I doing! Argh!’ he thought to himself. “N-no, I  was just surprised, that’s all,” Yonghwa mumbled. “Anyways, I’m fine now, so..,” Yonghwa motioned to his back. “..jump on,”

Seohyun looked at him worriedly. “..Emm, ok,” she reluctantly agreed. As soon as she held onto him, he quickly found it harder to breathe.

‘Damn it! What’s wrong with me!’

“Yonghwa-ssi, are you okay?” Seohyun asked. “You really don’t look so good. It’s ok I can walk home from here,” Seohyun told him.

“Just sit there, I’m ok,” Yonghwa assured her.

“No, seriously. Actually, we’re already pretty close to my hou-,”

“I said just sit there!” yelled Yonghwa. “I’ll get you home, if it’s the last thing I do, so just sit there,”. Then, they continued in silence.

***

By the time they reached her house, Yonghwa was already panting and feeling light-headed. ‘Argh, hold on, we’re nearly there, I can make it,’. He stopped in front of Seohyun’s house, and let her off. “See, ..told..you..I can…make it,” he said in between his breath.

Seohyun let go of him and got down from his bike. Immediately, Yonghwa felt his breathe turning normal, and his heartbeat slow down. Seohyun looked at him straight in the eyes, before taking off her coat and putting it on top of him. “There, it might be a little small, but at least it’s better,”

“Huh?” Yonghwa’s heart gave a small leap.

“It’s really cold today. I was wearing a sweater, and even I felt cold. It’s not good if you keep going on like this, when it’s this cold. You’ll catch a flu,” Seohyun pointed to his t-shirt.

“But I’m fine, really!” insisted Yonghwa.

Seohyun shook her head. “You’re face’s already red, and you’re breathing heavily just a moment ago,” Seohyun fussed. “If you rest properly, I’m sure you’ll recover quickly, so just make sure you don’t go out like this again,”

“What about you? Aren’t you cold?”

Seohyun chuckled slightly. “Yonghwa-ssi, I’m already home. It’ll only take a few seconds for me to reach my house. I’m pretty sure I won’t freeze to death on my way there,”

Yonghwa felt his heartbeat rising again. ‘Shut up, heart, this is not a good time,’ Yonghwa felt annoyed. He looked at her gratefully. “Thanks, I’ll give it back to you at school,”

“Ehm,” Seohyun nodded her head. “Though there is one problem..,”

“What is it?”

“You’ll probably look really weird, wearing a girl’s sweater.. Someone might even mistake you for a ert,” joked Seohyun.

Yonghwa blinked his eyes for a few moments, before laughing. “Haha, I guess that is a big problem isn’t it? Guess I’ll just have to endure it then,”

Seohyun shook her head. “Poor you,”

Yonghwa laughed again, before fixing his eyes back at her. “Thanks,” he said seriously.

“No, that’s what friend’s are for, right?” Seohyun said cheerily.

Yonghwa suddenly found himself focusing on the various features on Seohyun. Her white flawless skin, her red luscious lips, her captivating smile, her perfectly lined teeth. He felt his face flushing red, and his heart beating uncontrollably. He felt his mind going completely blank when he stared into her innocent, round eyes. He felt the urge to get closer to her, and hold her in his arms.

Yonghwa got off his bike and slowly moved towards her. “Yonghwa-ssi? Is everything alright?”

Yonghwa heard the words muffled inside his head. He came closer to her. He could see the pores on her skin, he could see his face in her eyes.

“Y-Yonghwa-ssi? What are you d-doing?” Seohyun asked warily, as Yonghwa held her with his arms.

He could feel her breath on his face. He could see her red lips, seducing him. He could see the tears forming in her eyes..

***

At that moment, everything felt right. It was as if the whole world was wrong, had been wrong all along and that one single moment, corrected its course. He could feel his lips pressing against her, and the un-describable sensation he felt at the time. He felt a million sensations exploding inside his head, and his heart exploding inside his chest. Even the thousand kisses he had all his life couldn’t compare to the one single kiss he got from her.

After he broke the kiss, he felt giddy and his mind was racing uncontrollably. He could feel a grin creeping to his lips. He felt on top of the world, and nothing in the world could bring him down. Then his world came crashing down on top of him.

He looked straight at Seohyun, and noticed the confused look on her face as she held her lips. It quickly turned into a look of disbelief, and then anger, and sadness, as tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Yonghwa panicked, when he saw the look on her face. “U-uhm, S-seohyun.., I-I’m-,”

Seohyun looked at him with her teary eyes. “What did you do..?” Seohyun asked slowly.

“S-Seohyun-ah-,”

“What did you think you were doing?” Seohyun said, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I trusted you.., Yonghwa-ssi,”

“I-I’m-,”

“Did you think that just because I’m a girl, you could kiss me whenever you want?” Seohyun’s voice started shaking, as she raised her voice. “That just because I’m a girl, you could treat me like a toy? Huh?”

“N-no-,”

“I trusted you!” she yelled, her voice shaking with anger. “Even when my friends told me not to, I still trusted you! Even when everyone told me that you’re a playboy, I still trusted you!” she continued to yell, tears rolling down from her eyes. “I trusted you as a friend! I even stood up for you! Cause that’s what friends do for each other! Friends don’t treat each other like toys! I thought you were my friend! Yonghwa-ssi!”

“…,” Yonghwa’s mind went completely blank to think about what he should say.

“I know, you’re a playboy. And I know you’ve probably kissed a lot of girls, before this,” Seohyun said slowly in between her sobs. “But not everyone lives like you! Not everyone goes around kissing everyone they saw!” Seohyun yelled again. “That was my first kiss.. I believed that you’d respect me as a friend. I guess I was wrong about you..,”

“S-Seohyun.., I’m sorry..,”

Seohyun bit her lips with the tears still streaming down her cheeks. “Just.. just go,” Seohyun said shakily, before turning away.

“Seohyun..,”

“I said go!” yelled Seohyun. “I don’t want to see your face, not right now,”

Yonghwa held her back by holding her hands. “Seohyun, I’m sor-,”

Seohyun turned and stared straight at him. “Just go, now. Please. I don’t want to hate you,” she said, her eyes turning red from the tears she shed. She brushed off his arms and walked towards her house.

Yonghwa stood there, silently. Slowly he felt the tears forming inside his eyes. As the first tear rolled down his cheeks, he could feel his heart being smashed to pieces. ‘What have I done..,’