>The Three C’s: Calm, Cool, and Collected<

The next day Minah was at her locker, fast footsteps made their way over and she was greeted with a panting Ricky. She looked at him and smiled. “Hey Ricky.”

“N..Noona! Hyung, avoid him at all cost today.”

“Hm? Why would I do that?” Minah asked Ricky in confusion. “Did something happen that I don’t know about?”

Ricky looked around and then stood up. “He’s really pissed, I mean steam coming from his ears pissed. On the way to school all he could say was “Wait until I get my hands on her” and I think her is you!”

“But I didn’t do anything.” Just then she spotted L.Joe making his way over. “Well I get to figure things out now, here he comes.” She was calm while Ricky was panicking.

“Hyung!” He shouted, L.Joe looked at him and then at Minah.

“Hey.”

“Who where you with last night?”

“Me? I was with P.O oppa. No big deal.”

“No…big deal? You went out with another guy and it’s no big deal?”

“Yes it’s no big deal. Friends hang out with friends so when he asked me if I wanted to hang out I said yes. I mean come on, you hang out with your friends.”

“My friends are all the same gender, how would you like it if I started spending time with another girl?”

Minah shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t care, if you say she’s a friend then why shouldn’t you hang out with her. Were seniors, we should be able to be together and still hang out with other people with no problem. Sheesh if I knew this is why you were mad I would have avoided you like Ricky asked. This is silly.”

“Minah you don’t get it do you?” She shook her head and he sighed. “You’re my girl, you shouldn’t want to spend time with other guys. Especially P.O!”

“Byunghun, you’re not gonna like all my friends. Just because you don’t like one doesn’t mean I can’t be there friend. Let’s be serious here…if you’re really mad about this maybe we shouldn’t talk until you cool down. I don’t feel like arguing over something so trivial.”

“Fine then!” He yelled as he grabbed Ricky by the arm. “But I’m taking MY friend with me.”

Ricky looked back at her as L.Joe pulled him away. “Hyung I wanna stay with Noona. She’s a much calmer angry person.”

Minah shook her head as the bell rung and made her way to class. P.O looked at her as he sat down. “Rumor has it you and Byunghun got into an argument.”

“More like he yelled to release anger. I wasn’t arguing with him at all.”

“I hear he’s really upset. How can you stay so calm?”

“I’m too young to stress over small stuff.” Minah said as she face him. “It’s called the three C’s. Cool, Calm, and Collected.”

“Three C’s?”

“When someone tells you someone is mad at you it’s best to stay cool throughout the whole situation. Calm when addressing the problems at hand, and collected no matter what happens. That way things don’t get worse and you don’t end up saying something you regret.”

P.O nodded in understanding. “Most girls wouldn’t give those things a second thought. I would have expected you to be a bit upset at him for causing a scene.”

“No harm done.”

L.Joe was far from Calm, cool, and collected. He was in class aggravated, Chunji rolled his eyes at his friend. “Told you to just be friends with her.”

“No…I’ll just give her a taste of her own medicine.” He stated as he tapped his finger on the desk. Plans where already formed in his head. *All I need to do is hang out with a girl so she can see how it feels. Then she’ll say she’s sorry, do something cute and then I’ll kiss her.* “Problem solved.”

“Solved? Sounds to me like things are only gonna go downhill from here.” Chunji said as he sighed. “Two wrongs never made a right.”

Minah smiled as she walked down the hall reading her book. She entered the math class and sat down in her seat by the window. L.Joe was already in his seat and he was talking to Jieyon. Minah took a peek at the two and laughed to herself as she focused on her book. She didn’t feel threatened and she figured L.Joe was trying to play the jealous game with her.

Seeing as she didn’t mind him talking to her it didn’t bother her. L.Joe looked at her reading her book and raised an eyebrow. He was confused, why hadn’t she said anything about the two talking yet? Jieyon thought he was being nice so she didn’t notice the two basically challenging each other, L.Joe wanted to see how long Minah would last and she wanted to know how long he would keep it up.

“So then since you decided to suddenly be nice to me how about you take me up on my offer to hang out after school?” Jieyon asked L.Joe with a smile.

L.Joe nodded not really paying attention. “Yeah yeah…” He looked at Minah again who was laughing at something she read. *Is she just pretending not to care or is she really not affected by this at all?!* He tilted his head in thought. *She’s driving me crazy!*

When it got to science class L.Joe brung Chunji into the mix. While Minah was trying to work he brung up the topic. “Hey Chunji you think I should take Jieyon to Lotte World after school today?”

Chunji was confused and looked between the two, Minah just laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know…why not ask Minah?”

Minah looked up and shook her head. “He asked you not me. I mean I say do what he pleases.” L.Joe squinted his eyes as he starred at the back of Minah’s head. “Chunji did I do that equation right?”

“Or maybe a nice movie.” L.Joe went on to try and get some type of emotion out of her. To his disappointment she didn’t pay him no mind. He sighed and put his head down. *Why isn’t she saying anything?!* When it got to lunch Jieyon walked over to there table.

“L.Joe are we still on for tonight?”

“I guess.” He said as he looked over at Minah playing with the two young ones. “Let me ask you a question Jieyon.”

“Yeah?”

“If your boyfriend was about to take another girl out and he started spending time with her what would you do?”

Jieyon looked at Minah. “Easy, I wouldn’t let him go! He’s my guy and I would want to spend all my time with him. Any girl who lets him go must not be in love with him.”

“I see…so then you’re saying she doesn’t love me anymore.”

“Or she never did in the first place.” Minah had stopped what she was doing and looked at them.

“N…Noona…” Ricky asked a bit nervous now, her face was unreadable.

“So then this would piss you off.” He put his arm around her and smiled. “I mean sometimes friends put their arms around friends right?”

The lunch room began to quiet down to watch the scene, P.O looked up from his table confused. Zico watched with slight interest. “Yeah but I wouldn’t let him do that.”

“See Minah…so tell me why does it not bother you.”

Minah looked at him. “Why don’t you tell me why me hanging out with P.O bothers you?”

“Easy! Because you’re my girlfriend and not his! You ended my phone call to be with him. I don’t know what you could have been doing with him!”

She stood up and everyone was waiting for the explosion, instead she calmly looked at him. “So then you don’t trust me. The reason why hearing you make plans with her didn’t bother me is because I trust you. I mean you’re my first boyfriend so I was sure you wouldn’t do anything to betray my trust. I mean me and P.O haven’t done anything with each other that would tell you I couldn’t be trusted.”

“I want someone who cares about what I’m out there doing and about how I feel.” L.Joe said as he looked at her. “If you aren’t gonna give that then maybe we shouldn’t be togeather.”

“If you don’t think that I’ve been a good girlfriend then it sounds to me like that is the best route.”

The simple comment was enough for L.Joe. “Then I guess it’s over.”

“I guess so.” The lunchroom was now filled with awkwardness. The other students began to whisper.

Minah began to pack of the things she had on the table and picked up her lunch. “Noona where are you going?” Ricky asked as he looked up at her.

“Yeah you okay?” Changjo asked with concern.

She smiled down at the two boys. “I’m perfectly fine. But I’m sure I’m not really wanted at the table anymore. So I’ll finish the period off in the library reading.” She bowed before walking out the lunch room calmly.

L.Joe sighed as he sat down. *…that was not supposed to happen.*

Jieyon looked at him confused. “Did you two really just break up?” She couldn’t hide the happiness in her voice though.

Ricky got up and looked at the guys. “I’m gonna go make sure Noona is really okay!”

Changjo nodded and followed him. “Me too…see you guys around.”

Chunji looked as everyone started focusing on their own table. “Even I have to admit that your plan wasn’t bright at all. Not only are you two not dating but it doesn’t look like you’ll be friends either.”

Niel nodded as he ate his food. “Hyung needs to learn how to control his temper!”

P.O starred at L.Joe for a few more seconds. *Just what was he getting at back there? Was he trying to break up with her?*

Zico laughed as he turned back to the table. “I tell you, little boys these days don’t understand the mind of females. If he was smart he would have just confronted you about the other night. That way he could hear what went on sense you would have no reason to lie. But then again a girl like that should be easy to trust, she’s to innocent to do anything bad.”

L.Joe pushed his food away, he didn’t feel like eating anymore.