I couldn't blame him though, he was protective of me. It was no secret that was one of the kingkas at the school. He didn't think there was anyone who deserved to be with me at school and though I wanted to protest, sometimes the look on his face scared even me. 

 

"Mina~" my best friend chimed my name as she walked up to me. She looked at the four pink and red envelopes in my hand and laughed softly. "It's not funny." I said slightly annoyed. "You're right." she said trying to force back a smile.

 

"Here, let me throw them out for you." and she took the letters from my hand and dumped them in the garbage can.

I sighed as she put her arm around me. "Oh come on. We're going to your favorite class, art." she raised her eyebrows at me. I ignored her gesture.

 

"You know I think I know why oppa's are so comfortable with you being so close to me when they usually chase everyone away." I said and she made a cute face. "Wae? You think one of them likes me?" she said grinning.

 

"You tease me just like they do." I said and she laughed softly. "It's all out of loveeeee." she drawled slightly as we walked into the classroom and my eyes immediately found him. He was picking art supplies from the cabinet. We were doing canvas art this week and I was more interested to see what he his finished product would be then finishing up my scene of the beach. He was one of the star students in the art department, and got to be really secret about his painting. It was always covered when not being worked on, and he always worked with the wall at his back in the corner.

 

"Yah! Oh Mina, have you listened to a word I said?" I was suddenly jerked back from my thoughts to see my pouting best friend. "Let's go shopping tomorrow. It's saturday." and I nodded. 

 

Suddenly he looked up straight at me and I averted my eyes, suddenly interested in the dirty streaks on my converses.

 

I was so glad oppa didn't have this class with me. Or else he would've noticed my weird behavior already. "L.Joe is looking at you." and I jerked my head up to look at her and she was fighting back a giggle. "Yah! I'm going to kill you." I said in a whisper. "You like him." she said sweetly. "Shhhh. Oppa might hear." I said and she ran a hand through her hair. "He's good looking, and tall but he doesn't have ears like that can hear through walls, Mina."

 

"Just drop it. Let's get on finishing our paintings." and she and I went to get paint and water.

 

My water was getting cloudy because I kept experimenting with colors trying to find the right one for the sea foam hitting the sand, so I stood up and I bumped right into someone and the water container flew out of my hands. "Oh Mina!" Mrs. Park shouted. I cringed and peeked one eye open to see L.joe being the one covered head to toe in my blue gray paint water. It dripped off the ends of his hair, and he ran a hand through it to get his bangs out of his face. I blinked…speechless and stunned. "I-I-uh-uh." I stammered looking at him. He should've been mad but he didn't really seem mad. "Ah gwenchana." he said, and took off his smock and wiped his face and his neck. "I'm going to go to the bathroom to clean up." he said with a small bow to Mrs. Park. "I'll help you!" I said suddenly and then all eyes were on me. I just realized helping him clean up would entail going into the guy's bathroom, and flushed red.

 

"It's really okay." he gave me a smile and left. "Yah, you are never that clumsy." my best friend said grabbing paper towels to help me clean the water on the floor. "How can he still look good covered head to toe in dirty paint water." I said absent mindedly, replaying the scene in my head. "Mwoh? Ah jinja, Mina." she flicked my forehead as we stood up. L.joe came back fifteen minutes later changed out of his white vneck and jeans to his gym t-shirt and shorts.

 

"I'm really sorry." I said as he walked past. "No worries." he smiled again at me. "It's really okay. I'm pretty sure you wanted to put some color on shirt right? White was way too bland." he grinned and I giggled. It was so uncharacteristic of me that I covered my mouth in shock. 

 

The rest of the day passed by without incident. But I found myself stealing more glances at L.Joe than I usually did. I noticed the furrowing between his eyebrows when he was concentrating really hard. And how his half dried bangs would cover his eyes ever so slightly.

"I'm not cleaning up your drool." and I gave her a sour look before finishing my painting. We handed it in at the end of class. L.Joe stayed behind to talked to Mrs. Park. "Gaja!" my best friend pulled me along for the rest of the day.

 

At the end of the day I went to put my books back into my locker when I walked past the art classroom and saw the door open. No one was inside, so I looked around and saw something sitting on my desk. I went over and found a box saying "For Oh Mina." and I opened it expecting a love confession letter. But inside was a canvas square the size of my palm, and a really beautiful rose was painted on it, and my name in script on the lower right. There was no other note, or name or anything.

 

"Mina!" I heard Oppa familiar voice call my name. He had skipped some classes today but he always took me home. I quickly stuffed everything in my bag and went out to meet him. "What were you doing in there?" he asked. "Just closing the door because someone forgot to." I smiled sweetly and shut the door. 

 

"I'm starving." he complained and I laughed. "Let's go."

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"Oppa, you don't have to be here if you don't want to." I laughed as he yawned again. "I needed to get a new memory card for the Ps3 at home. The guys always come over to play it."

"So you're paying Sehun?" Kai laughed and he elbowed Oppa playfully. "Hell no. You guys are." he said with a slight smirk. "Arraseo." Suho sighed. "Every time someone needs to pay for something it's always me." he said bitterly and I linked arms with him. "I'll make you bibimbap next time you guys come over." I said smiling. "yah!" Oppa came over and detached Suho.

 

"Oppaaa." I threw him a look. 

"Aish, Mina, we came to find a new pair of shoes." my best friend dragged me away from them to go into the shoe store. After another hour of shopping, we went to the food court to eat. "No you can not have my chicken teriyaki." I said playfully batting away Oppa's fork. "But I can." Luhan chuckled and speared my last piece of chicken before I could even stop him. "Aish, you are all animals." I grumbled and got up to put away my tray. "Ah Mianhae." I said when I almost bumped into someone. This week was just not my week. "No worries." he said and I looked up to meet L.Joe's eyes. He gave me a smile and I blushed. "I." I started the same time he scratch he back of his head, cutely. "I." he also started.

 

I didn't know what to say to him. After I got home last night, I locked myself in my room after dinner and looked over the painting of the rose like a detective. I looked all over and finally found in the smallest writing possible the name Lee Byung Hun. It had taken me a while but I realized that was L.Joe's real name. I usually tossed my love confessions in the trash but I couldn't toss his. Not when I felt the same way.  I quickly jerked my head back to see if Oppa had seen anything, and his eyes met mine and then they narrowed at L.Joe. I quickly turned to L.Joe. 

 

"Do you like your face intact?" I asked him. "Mwoh?" he seemed taken aback. "Let's go before Oppa gets here." and I grabbed L.Joe's hand and we ran from the food court. The sound of loud scraping chairs told me Oppa, the guys and Hana were getting up.

 

I've been in the mall a lot so I ran with L.joe until we got to the part where some of the store were renovating so there was less people. I panted and tried to steady my breath as I sat down at the edge of the big water fountain. L.Joe was panting as hard as I was. 

 

"I." we both started breathless and then we looked at each other for a moment and laughed. "Sorry about that, really." I said. "I think that was quite the rush." he chuckled. "You know who my brother is right?" I asked. "Yeah. Oh Sehun." he said serious now.

 

"I wanted to talk to you." I said. "Me too." He said on the same note. "Did you give me this?" I said pulling the small painting out of my bag. He looked at it with a sad smile. "Yeah. The bigger version is back at school."

 

"It's beautiful." I said softly, as my finger gently traced over the petals.

"Like you." he suddenly said and I looked up. "I'm not good with words. But I really like art. And that's what a single rose means. I love you."

 

"Ah…" I felt my breath get caught in my throat and my heart beat quicken. "I noticed your smile since last year during math. But I only got to see you briefly every now and then because you were always with EXO. I was really happy we ended up in the same art class. And I really want to tell you but I was afraid that I'd be like the other guys you rejected. I tried to act cool around you but yesterday after the water incident, when you looked like you were about to cry from devastation and embarrassment, I really want to to hug you but I couldn't…" L.joe said. "So I just wanted to give you a little something." he smiled. "You don't have to return anything. It's just a little some-"

 

"I love it. And I like you a lot too." I said hiding a blush but unable to hide the smile on my face. "Jeongmal?" his eyes widened in surprise. Then suddenly L.Joe wasn't sitting in front of me. He was on his feet, Oppa had the front of his shirt bunched in his fist. "You have some serious guts." he said angrily.

 

Oppa looked like he was about to raise a fist but I grabbed his hand. "I like him." I said softly. "What?" Oppa asked. "I like him." I said louder.

 

"Mwoh?!" 

"I really like Lee Byung Hun! And you aren't allowed to hurt him Sehun Oppa!" I said and Oppa had never look so stunned and let go of L.Joe.