"Hey, Hwayoung-sshi, you wanna go out together some time?"

I looked at him. He was my classmate. The tenth one this week to ask me out so far. "No thanks." I said, smiling dazzlingly. "I'm spending some alone time."

The other boys in my class, who took a habit of crowding around my table during breaktimes, laughed. "Aww, you just don't wanna go out with him!" Another teased. "How about me?"

"No, me!"

"Don't listen to them, Hwayoung-ah! Go out with me!"

I smiled, rejecting each offer.

Boys are so stupid. All they care about is pretty girls. None of them has ever actually tried to get to know me. All they do is do cheesy pick-up lines on me and try to ask me out.

They are all so fickle and stupid and superficial.

That's what I used to think whenever they asked me out. But now, I don't think that.

Instead, I think of Hyunseung sunbae.

But why? Why do I keep thinking about shy-boy oppa sunbae? Why did he make my heart pound?

"He's nothing but a pathetic, shy, awkward, embarassing weakling!" I muttered under my breath. "So why?"

As I walked home, I immediately recognized a figure hunched over one of those toy-dispensers. Hyunseung. My heart started beating faster.

As I walked closer, I heard him say "Aw, man! Not this one again.............."

"What are you doing, you idiot sunbae?" I shouted, causing him to jump and turn around. "Spending all your pocket money on useless toys!"

"T-they aren't useless!" Hyunseung defended them weakly. "They are mini Gundam models. I'm trying to get a different one, but they just keep giving me ones I already have."

I sighed. "Honestly, doesn't your parents try and get you to grow up?"

"My younger sister does." Hyunseung said meekly. "Geurim. She's always trying to make me throw out the figurines. She says their childish and a senior in high school should have better things to do."

"Um, well..........." I didn't know what to say to him. "What are you doing later?" Those words came out of my mouth before I realized I had spoken them.

Hyunseung looked taken aback at the question. "Uh....ummm.........probably going to stay home and watch TV............"

I scowled. "Forget it, that's so boring! You need to go out sometime! Meet me at the arcade at six oh' clock tonight on the dot! And don't be late!!!"

"Wha...............what?" Hyunseung stammered. "Wait, what do you mean by...................."

But I had turn around and walked as fast as I could away from him without actually running.

I couldn't help but smile wide. I felt like jumping up and down and singing at the top of my lungs.

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It was just something quick. It wasn't even a date. I was just trying to get him to enjoy himself once in a while. I didn't have to wear anything fancy. I didn't even need to put on makeup. There was no need for me to look good for him. I didn't even need to be there on time. I should let him wait fifteen minutes or so and then arrive fashionably, saying a cool line like "Sorry, I lost track of time!".

I waited in front of the arcade twenty minutes to six. I was wearing a sparkly silver halter top and tight black jeans that I bought right off the runway in Paris last year, and a pair of black flats that Lisanna lent to me from a photo shoot she had a few weeks ago. My hair was curled into gorgeous ringlets, and I was wearing blush, mascara, lip gloss, the works.

I waited impatiently, wriggling with excitement as my watch struck six.

Five minutes past.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Thirty.

Forty minutes.

A couple of boys I knew from Cube high walked by and saw me. "Hey, Hwayoung-ah!" They called. "You look gorgeous tonight!" "Want to play with us?"

Trying to bury my anger, disappointment, and hurt, I turned to them and said "Yes."

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Hyunseung ran down the street as fast as he could. "Oohhhh, I lost track of time playing World of Warcraft!" He groaned. "What will Hwayoung-sshi say? She's probably gonna hit me or yell at me..................but she might not even be there.............I did stand her up for almost an hour.............."

Feeling extremely guilty, he ran even faster. "Please let her still be there! I need to apologize!"

Meanwhile, I was at one of those claw machine games. "Get me that bear!" I demanded, pointing to a cute purple bear.

"Sure." They laughed. However, they couldn't get the bear at all.

"Oh, come on, Hwayoung-ah. Let's play something else, huh?"

"No! I want that bear!" I snapped. They laughed, good-natured. "You really won't rest until we spend all our money, huh?"

"H-H-Hwayoung-sshi.........?"

I turned around. Hyunseung was there, in a sweatshirt and jeans, breathing heavily as though he ran full speed here. "I-Im sorry, I lost track of.................."

"Forget it. I don't want to hear your excuses!" I snapped, feeling too angry and upset to listen to him.

"Huh? Who's this guy, Hwayoung-ah?" The other guys asked.

"Nobody important." I sneered hurtfully. "You're nothing but a weak, pathetic loser! All you care about is toys and action figures! That's entirely the reason why you never got ~~~~~~~~~ sunbae in the first place! Why would anyone like a loser like you??!!!"

I knew immediately I had gone too far. The look on Hyunseung's face was so shocked and hurt I could have died. My heart broke.

Blushing, he ducked his head and pulled his sweatshirt hood over his head. "I know...........that I'm.............pathetic..........and a..............loser............." He said softly. Then he turned around and ran back.

I stared after him. It was all my fault. I blew it.

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I left the boys and walked home. I couldn't get the expression on his face out of my mind. I felt like crying.

I passed a bunch of toy-dispensers and stared at it, lost in thought. Then I slowly went to one featuring Gundam and got a small red ball.

Clutching it in my hand, I slowly walked home.

An hour later, Yoseob knocked on my door. "Yah, Hwayoung-ah."

"What?" I mumbled dejectedly.

He opened the door. "Hyunseung was just here."

My head snapped up. "What? He was?"

"He said for me to tell you that he is very sorry, and he knows you have every right to be mad at him, and he didn't stand you up intentionally. And he also asked me to give you this." He tossed something onto my bed.

I stared at it. It was the cute purple bear I wanted from the claw machines.

"He said he hoped it was the right one." Yoseob said. "What happened, Hwayoung?"

I jumped off my bed. "Is he still here?"

"Umm, he's probably still walking down our driveway. You know how long it is."

I grabbed the red Gundam ball and dashed past Yoseob and down the stairs. I shoved my feet into any pair of shoes I grabbed my hands on and wrenched open the door, my heart pounding so loudly it roared in my ears.

I flew down the driveway, looking desperately for him. Finally, I saw a lone figure walking slowly down. "HYUNSEUNG SUNBAE!!!!" I yelled out.

Hyunseung stopped and turned around. "Oh, Hwayoung-sshi. I'm really sorry, I really am. Did you get my bear?"

"Y-yes." I said. "I-i-it was my fault. I.......I'm sorry." It was the first time I apologized for anything. I took a deep breath to calm my jumpy nerves. "It was just angry at you. I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry. Here." I gave him the ball.

Hyunseung examined it and gasped in shock. "It's a rare collectible! How did you get your hands on one of these?"

"I dunno..........." I said, a bit lost as to why he was so excited over a Gundam figurine.

He smiled, looking really happy. "Thank you so much, Hwayoung-sshi! This is great!"

I didn't know what happened them. But suddenly, as I stared at his smiling face, I ran over and hugged him.

Hyunseung looked extremely shocked and dropped the ball. "H-H-H-Hwayoung-sshi?" He stammered, blushing.

I pressed myself tightly to his body, my head resting on his shoulder. ".........I...................I love you, sunbae.........." I whispered. "Will you go out with me?"