Jungsoo was exhausted. He just finished 6 hours shooting from this dawn and he barely got enough sleep last night. The moment he reached the 12th floor dorm, he dragged his feet to the first couch he could see and then collapsed on it.

“Are you going to lunch with us, hyung?” Donghae asked with his mouth full and he was holding a bowl of salad. “Ryeowook’s trying to cook Thai.”

Jungsoo shook his head and sighed. He was too tired to eat. “You guys eat first; I’ll nap for a while and then eat.”

“Okay.” Donghae said as he left him to the dining room, joining the others.

Jungsoo got up from the couch and walked to his room. He slammed the door and threw his body to the bed, without bothering to get change first. He closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep. When he was about to drift to the dreamland, his phone suddenly rang.

He ignored it at first, thinking that it wasn’t his phone’s ringtone. Then he remembered, he broke his old phone by throwing it to pieces and he just got the new one a few days ago. He groaned as he took the phone.

“What is it?!” He shouted, to whoever it was on the phone.

“Park Jungsoo, is that your way to greet your mother?!” Jungsoo cringed as the caller shouted back at him. It was his mother, of course. He should’ve just read the caller id first.

“Oh, hi Mom.” He greeted and then apologized, “I thought you were my friend, I’m sorry.”

His mom grumbled something that he didn’t bother to listen, because he distanced the phone from his ear. When he thought his mom had stopped, he listened to her again. “...I’ve told you yesterday you have to see Cheonsa today. Where are you?”

Jungsoo rubbed his temple, he suddenly felt headache. “Baek Cheonsa?”

“Yeah, you promised you’ll take Cheonsa for lunch today. You said it last night.”

He recalled the conversation between him and his mother last night, and he did promised his mother to take Cheonsa for lunch today but that was only because her mother was so insisting and he was in hurry last night.

“Right, about that... I’m sorry, Mom. I don’t think I can go anywhere today.” He told his mom cautiously.

“What do you mean?”

Jungsoo sighed when he heard his Mother’s voice just raised a pitch. “I’m sorry; I didn’t check my schedule when I agreed to take Cheonsa for lunch. I had a lot of works, Mom. I just got home before you call me.”

“But you’re free now, right? I’ve asked your manager. He said you’re free until tomorrow.”

“Mom, I just had a 6 hours shooting from 5 am this morning, and I only got to sleep for 2 hours last night.” Jungsoo reasoned. “I’m exhausted. I want to sleep, rain check, okay? I’m tired. ”

“You promised! Besides, this is only 11 am, and Cheonsa doesn’t have her break until 2 pm. You can nap for an hour and then pick her at her work!”

Jungsoo tried his best to hold himself from throwing his new phone. He was pissed. Exhausted. Both physically and mentally. But he knew it well that his mother wouldn’t listen to him. She would keep pushing him until he did her order. And he had no enough energy to fight with his mother.

“Fine!” He said, defeated. He could imagine her mother probably was cheering in victory. “Text me her work address, I’ll pick her up in two hours.” His mom said okay and then hung up the phone.

Something was burned inside Jungsoo. He felt anger boiled from his toes to head. Furious, he grabbed a pillow from his bed and threw it to the door. “!” He cursed out loud.

A few seconds later, someone knocked on his door. “Teuki hyung?” Donghae called him. “Are you okay?” The younger male asked.

Jungsoo soon regretted his previous anger burst. He forgot he wasn’t alone in the dorm that moment. The last thing he wanted was to make his co-members worried. “It’s okay, Hae.”

Donghae was silent for a moment and then he asked again. “Should I worry?”

“No. It’s okay, really.” Jungsoo sighed. He climbed up to his bed again and lied down. “I’m just grumpy because I’m sleepy. Lemme get some sleep and wake me up in one hour, okay?”

“Okay.” Donghae said. The next second, Jungsoo could hear footsteps getting further away. He sighed heavily as he buried his face to the pillow.

*****

“In two hundred meters, turn left.”

Jungsoo glanced at the GPS monitor as it told him the direction. He was heading to Cheonsa’s work place, to pick her up just like her mother ordered him to. It kinda amazed him when his mother told him that Cheonsa was working in an all-girl high school as a Tea ceremony and Etiquette teacher. He thought the job really suited her.

He pulled his car to a stop in the School parking lot. It was nearly 2 pm and all the students were still inside the classes, fortunately for him. He was a bit worried before that he had to go to an all-girl high school. There might be some fans among the students and if he got caught visiting the school, it would be chaos.

The school guard informed him where he could find Cheonsa. She was at the tea ceremony class at the 2nd floor. When he found the class, he saw Cheonsa arranging a flower arrangement. Probably for the tea ceremony.

Cheonsa heard Jungsoo cleared his throat, she saw Jungsoo standing at the entrance, leaning to her door. “Oh, you’re here.” She said, facing him. “When your mom told me that you’ll take me for lunch, I didn’t think you would come.”

Jungsoo ignored her. He wanted to tell her that the last thing he wanted was taking her to lunch and made his parents think that he agreed with this arranged marriage. But he kept it to himself. “So, I heard that your job is a teacher.”

“Yes, I teach Etiquette for regular classes and also supervising the tea ceremony club after school.” She explained. Jungsoo shook his head and chuckled. “What’s so funny?” Cheonsa raised an eyebrow at him, a little bit offended by his laugh.

“I’m sorry but I just thought it suits you, your job I mean.” He chuckled again as an image of her, teaching etiquette crossed his mind. “Etiquette class? You must be a strict teacher.”

“I’m strict when it comes to etiquette and manners, but outside class, I’m pretty close with my students. They treat me more like a sister, not a teacher.”

Jungsoo nodded. “Probably because the between you and your students aren’t that much.”

“Yeah...” She agreed and then they fell in silence. The air between them was getting awkward. Both Cheonsa and Jungsoo didn’t have any intention to make a small talk anymore. Jungsoo remembered the main reason why he was there.

“Let’s just grab some lunch. I haven’t eaten anything since morning.” He rubbed his stomach and glanced at his stomach. “It’s not lunch hours anymore so the restaurants won’t be packed.”

“Okay, let me grab my bag.” Cheonsa put all her belongings on her desk into her bag and then slid her bag to her shoulder.

Once she was ready to go, Jungsoo let her led walked ahead of him and they walked to the parking lot in silence. He’d opened the door for her when they approached his car. His hand rested on her back as she got in, unconsciously.

“Why don’t we go to my place instead?” Cheonsa suggested when he pulled the car out of the parking lot.

He glanced at her and then looked straight at the road. “Your place? Aren’t we going to have lunch?” He asked.

“Your mother told me that you’re actually really tired but you still take me to lunch. So, why don’t we have lunch in my apartment instead of Restaurant?” She offered, glancing over to see if he was listening to him. “I can cook for you and you can rest while I’m cooking.”

“Are your parents home?” Jungsoo asked.

“Haven’t I told you that I live alone in my own apartment?”

Jungsoo chuckled and then smirked at her. “Well, well, well, Cheonsa-ssi. This is only our first date and you already invite me to your place?”

Cheonsa stared at him confusedly at first but then she realized what he meant. She rolled her eyes and it amused him. He never thought she would ‘rolled her eyes’.

“You know I don’t have that kind of intention when I invited you to my place..” She said, a bit irritated that his smirk didn’t leave his face. “Never mind then, let’s just go to any restaurant.”

Jungsoo laughed amusedly and waved his hand. “I’m just kidding. Eating in your place is more convenient. That way I don’t have to worry of getting caught by my fans or paparazzi.”

Cheonsa sighed. “Can we drop by to the super market first? I run out of olive oil.”

“Yes ma’am.” He obliged with a grin.

********

“You have a nice house.” Jungsoo said out loud as he looked around Cheonsa’s apartment.

When they reached her apartment, Cheonsa allowed him to tour around the apartment and make himself home. So he did. Cheonsa’s apartment wasn’t that big but a little bit too spacious if she lived by herself only. She got three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The dining area was open to the living room, but the kitchen was separated by a half-wall.

He thought it was a gorgeous apartment, spacious rooms, wood floors, arched doorways, and he also noticed the beautiful framed photographs all over the walls. Several prints of kids playing on the beach. All black and whites. Jungsoo’s fingers trailed over the frames.

“Those were taken in Barocay, Philippines.” Jungsoo turned around and saw Cheonsa a bottle of wine and the glasses on her hands. “Do you want wine?” Jungsoo nodded and she handed him the Chardonnay bottle.

“Did you take those photos?” He asked as he sat on the couch in the living room. He opened the wine and poured for both of them.

“Yes, sometimes I take photos for hobby.” She answered. Jungsoo was about to ask another question but Cheonsa beat him. “Are Grilled salmon and pasta okay with you?” She drifted the subject and Jungsoo noticed it. But he let it go.

“I’m okay with anything. As long as you serve a lot.”

“Okay.” Cheonsa smiled as she got up. “If you feel like sleeping, you can take a nap on the couch or in the guest room over there,” She pointed at a room at the end of the hallway, “It’s all up to you.”

“I’ll just wait here on this couch.” He said, tapping the couch. And without a word, Cheonsa went to the kitchen and started making their late lunch.

30 minutes later, Cheonsa finished cooking. She cooked Grilled Salmon with Spaghetti Aglio Olio for both of them. Jungsoo didn’t sleep like he planned to do before, he actually accompanied her cooking in the kitchen. He sat on the kitchen stool and watched her busied with her cooks. One minute he would ask two or three questions about the food, another minutes they would discuss about the wines, and minutes later they were sitting at the dining table with pasta and wine in front of them.

“Good Lord, this is so good.” Jungsoo whimpered, closing his eyes and losing himself to the food sensations.

“I had no idea you will enjoy it this much,” Cheonsa smiled, she looked satisfied. “Do you want more? I cook a lot.” She offered.

“No, this is my second plate and if I have another, I won’t be able to walk.” He moaned around another mouthful, feeling stuffed but not wanting the meal to end.

Cheonsa just cooked him possibly the most perfect pasta ever, hitting every single taste bud of Jungsoo’s. She said she’d learned how to make amazing pasta from a woman in Italy, and she’d sworn her pastas were the best pasta she’d ever had. Jungsoo wasn’t really a fan of pasta or any other Italian food but after proceeding to eat almost a pound of pasta, as well as two pieces of Salmons, he admitted that Cheonsa’s Grilled Salmon with Spaghetti Aglio Olio was perfect for him.

“Here, let me take this.” Cheonsa said, grabbing Jungsoo’s empty plate. He pulled himself up from the table and rushed towards her but she stopped him. “No, no, no. You’re not going to help me. Just go relax yourself on the couch.”

“Okay, then.. If you insist.” Jungsoo grinned and then he shuffled into the living room. He reclined on the couch and relaxed himself into the cushions.

10 minutes later Cheonsa finished the dishes, she came down and sat next to Jungsoo, whose eyes were closed. “Are you sleeping, Jungsoo-ssi?” She asked softly. He didn’t answer nor open his eyes. “You can sleep in the guest room, you know.”

Jungsoo slowly opened his eyes and then sat up straight. “Naah, it’s okay. I wasn’t sleeping.” He said as he stretched his arms over the back of the couch.

“But you’re about to fall asleep on my couch.”

“I’m not. I was just resting because I’m too full.” He argued, and then proved himself wrong by yawning. Cheonsa chuckled; shaking her head in disbelieved.

“Okay, I might be a little tired.” He admitted. “Maybe it’s time for me to go home.”

“You could just sleep here.” Cheonsa said casually. Jungsoo narrowed his eyes at him and she responded by raising her one eyebrow. “What?” She asked.

Jungsoo grinned mischievously. “Do you just ask me to sleep here in your apartment?” Cheonsa nodded, didn’t get his point. “Well, it’s just the two of us. Don’t you think it’s kinda dangerous?” He asked as he wiggled his eyebrows, grinning.

Cheonsa paused and then laughed. “Did you just wiggle your eyebrows?” She asked between her laugh. Jungsoo responded by wiggling his eyebrow once again, making the girl laughed even more. “Your face looks weird. Stop it!”

He grinned. “Oh. You’re finally laughing.”

“What?” She asked, her laughed toned down

“I said you’re finally laughing.” He said, smiling at her. “You know, this is actually the first time I saw you laugh.”

That was true. Jungsoo never saw her laughing before. Her expression was always so fixed and under-controlled. She chuckled, but not laughing like that. He assumed that her face might look weird if she laughed, but it turned out that she actually looked pretty when laughing.

“What? I think I laughed in front of you before.”

“No, this is the first time. You always have this poker face every time you’re around me, like you were trying to hold your emotion.” He said as he made a robot face, trying to copy her. Cheonsa laughed again, his facial expression was too weird. Hearing her laughter brought a smile to Jungsoo’s face. “You look pretty when laughing, you should laugh more, you know.”

Cheonsa stopped laughing and found Jungsoo was staring, smiling genuely at her. Jungsoo just said that she was pretty, that made her cheeks getting warmer. “I.. I won’t do anything dangerous to you, so you can sleep here.” Embarrassed, she tried to changed the subject.

This time she was the one who made Jungsoo laughed. “Of course you won’t do anything! It’s me that you should worry. I’m a man, you know?”

Cheonsa scoffed. “I don’t think you have enough power to do anything dangerous to me. You’re too sleepy.”

“I’m not that sleepy.” He argued, but then again his body betrayed him and he yawned again.

“Come on, you’re not allowed to drowsy driving.” She said, chuckling.

“Okay, fine. But wake me up at 9, please? I have schedule at 10.” He gave up. Taking nap in her place was better than at the dorm, because it was a lot quieter here than at the dorm, with all the members around.

She gaped at him. “You have another schedule at 10? Isn’t it a little late for work? What time are you going to sleep, then?”

He shrugged. “No, it’s kind of normal. I had schedule at the same time yesterday and we finished right at dawn. Fortunately I don’t have any schedule at daylight today so I can rest but sometimes I have no time to rest at all.”

She blinked and shook her head again. “Okay, you desperately need to sleep now.” She rose from her seat and signed him to follow her “Come on.”

“Okaay.” He sleepily pushed to his feet and stumbled after her. On the hallway, he noticed another set of black and white pictures were hung on the wall. Pictures of an old couple, sitting on a bench. They were laughing, whispering to each others, and kissing. He stopped at his track, mesmerized by the beautiful pictures.

“This is beautiful. Your grandparents?” He asked.

She turned to her back and sighed when she realized Jungsoo was staring at her pictures. “You realize they don’t look Korean, or even Asian?”

He grinned sheepishly, “Who are they?”

“They’re an old couple that I met when I went to countryside of England. They were sitting on the bench one day, local couple, the light and the atmosphere were perfect, so I asked if I could take some shots of them. They came out great so I hung the pictures.”

“You must be really into photography.” He said, looking back at her. “You took great pictures..”

Jungsoo noticed it, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why are you always changing subjects whenever I mention photography?”  She didn’t answer right away and just gazed on her feet. “Cheonsa-ssi?” He called her.

She looked up at him, biting her lips. Once again, she lost her controlled-expression. She looked troubled like she had something to say but she hesitated. “You know, you can just tell me...” Jungsoo encouraged her, like he could understand her feelings.

“I just...” She paused and then sighed. “Remember when I told you about my three biggest goals?”

Jungsoo recalled the night when they first met, when their parents told them about the arranged marriage. He remembered Cheonsa asked him to talk in his room and she told him about her life goals.

“Getting married in beautiful church, giving birth to some lovely babies..” He recalled, “...and another goal that remained a secret.”

Cheonsa was impressed that Jungsoo actually remembered it. That night when she told him about that wasn’t the best encounter between both of them. If she might say, it was the worst. But she was surprised that Jungsoo actually listen to her and even remembered it.

“I’m surprised you still remember, Jungsoo-ssi...”

Jungsoo scratched the back of his head. “Well, it’s not often for me to find a woman who has such kind of goals.. So what does your goal have to do with photography?”

“My ultimate goal is to be a photographer.” She told him, her face red from embarrassment.

“You want to be a photographer? That’s good, even though it doesn’t sound like you. But, what’s so secretive about wanting to become a photographer?” Jungsoo didn’t get why she had to keep that goal as a big secret and why did she have to embarrassed with it.

Cheonsa stared at him. Her face was solemn. “Don’t you understand, Jungsoo-ssi? My parents want me to become a perfect housewife. Being a photographer means there are possibility that I have to travel a lot or I have to be away from home for work. It doesn’t sound like a prefect housewives do according to my parents. And I believe that no man would want his wife travels a lot.” She explained.

He understood then. Her parents were those strict parents type who pushed all their will to their children and controlled them like they were robots. Cheonsa was their robot. Everything she did was according to her parents orders. That’s why she was so emotionless, so controlled.

“Your parents were against your dream?” He asked. “So you don’t really want to get married in church and have babies?”

Cheonsa shook her head. “No, I truly want that. But I also want to be a photographer, but my parents would be against it.”

Jungsoo frowned. He understood it really well how it felt when the parents were against children’s dream. It happened with Jungsoo as well. He still remembered how mad his parents were when he told them that he wanted to be an idol. Though this day his parents were supportive, but he had to struggle by himself at the beginning of his training.

“So not only forcing you to marry a random guy, your parents also control your life?”

“You said it like they are such bad parents. They’re never against anything I do because I always do everything they tell me to. About my dream, I never tell them about it. They’re not forcing me to marry a random guy either, because you’re not a random guy...”

Jungsoo shook his head in disbelieved. Once again, he was reminded how weird this girl was. She had a big dream but had to throw away her dream because of her parents and she’s okay with that. She was sent abroad to study etiquette and she was okay with that. Her parents arranged a marriage for her and she’s okay with that as well. He never saw such an obedient daughter like her!

“Well at least if you’re married to me, I don’t mind if you become a photographer and travel a lot.” Jungsoo suddenly said, surprising Cheonsa.

She thought she might mishear him saying something about them being married. “Did you just say if I’m married to you? Do you finally agree to marry me, then?”