chapter NINE.

I lean over and tilt my head, trying to get the water out of my ear. I can feel it sloshing around in there. The good news is that our coach still has the same rule from last season. If someone throws up during practice, we get out fifteen minutes early, and if two people lose it, we end practice immediately. The bad news is that this morning, I was the second puker. I let Sehun talk me into drinking some new protein shake his coach recommended. It's horrible, full of spirulina and kelp. It tasted bad enough to go down. It was worse coming back up.

"Nice work, Soo Rin!" I look over and see Chanyeol ( Mr Row ) giving me the thumbs-up. I wave at him weakly. I can still taste the seaweed in my mouth. He walks over to where a girl with long blond highlighted hair is leaning down from the bleachers, waiting to talk to him. She giggles at something he says.

"Didn't take him long," I mutter, picking up the stack of kickboards. Another of coach's rules. The pukers get to do cleanup.

"Didn't take who long to do what?" I look over to where someone is kicking half a dozen pull buoys towards the storage bin.

I feel a flutter in my stomach that isn't the seaweed. It's Kim Jong In. "Um..." I can be so witty under pressure.

Jong In looks over to where Chanyeol is still flirting with the girl. "He's really broken up about you guys," he says. I shake my head and hide a smile, both because he's being so nice to me and because Kim Jong In actually noticed I was going out with Chanyeol.

"He's brave to hide it so well," I say.

"Crying on the inside." Kim Jong In leans over and picks up one of the pull buoys and chucks it at the back of Chanyeol's head. "Hey, Yeol. You owe me breakfast." Chanyeol smiles over at him and shakes his head. "It's your fault I urped," Kim Jong In says.

"Dude, it's not my fault you didn't train over break," Chanyeol says.

Kim Jong In looks over to me. "Does he owe you breakfast too?" I shrug. "Hey, Yeol, you owe Soo Rin here breakfast too."

Chanyeol acts like he's about to make a smart remark at my expense, but he looks over at the girl who's still admiring him like he's Adonis in a Speech. "You hungry?" he asks her.

She nods, but she seems uncertain. I can't help rolling my eyes. Another girl who can't eat in front of guys. I dump the last pile of kickboards in the bin and heft my bag from where I put it against the wall.

Kim Jong In walks toward the locker room and I wonder if any of that was real or just guy talk. He catches the door and turns to look at me. "Meet us in the caff in ten," he says.

"I have to drop by my locker," I say, then realize with a smirk that this might be the perfect time to casually give him the chocolates.

"Okay, then in twelve." He winks at me, which makes my heart thud a little harder. "I'll save you a seat."

I hurry through my shower and pull on my uniform. I say a silent thanks to Taeyeon that she had her little fashion meeting with me. It takes me three minutes to blow-dry my hair. I start to put on some of the lipstick I dropped in my bag at the last minute, but decide against it. I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard. I grab my bag and start toward my locker. The halls are still mostly empty, just a few students here and there putting up flyers and wandering around. I twist my combination and pull my locker open, expecting to see my usual messy jumble of books and a couple of boxes of chocolates, but there's also something else. Hanging from one of the hooks meant to hold jackets is a small brown bag. I pull it down and peer inside.

"A banana," I say out loud. I pull it out and look at it. It's perfect. Just this side of green and no spots. Maybe Taeyeon thought I'd need something to eat after practice. I unload my backpack and lay the banana carefully on the stack of books inside. Smiling, I grab one of the boxes of chocolates and snap my locker shut. I might as well give them to Kim Jong In now since I know Taeyeon will ask. But when I start to head toward the caff, I'm suddenly nervous. This morning was the longest conversation I've ever had with Kim Jong In. What if I don't have anything more to say? What if I just sit there like a lump while he mentally kicks himself for inviting such a hopeless girl to have breakfast with? By the time I round the corner, I feel more like I'm walking to gallows than to breakfast.

Sitting on the far side of the caff in one of the booths are Chanyeol and Kim Jong In. The girl Chanyeol was talking to is walking toward them, balancing two trays. One has four cups of coffee on it; the other is heaped with plates. I watch her wobble a little, then I hurry to her rescue. She hands me one of the trays with a grateful smile and I walk with her over to where the guys are sitting.

"Hey there," Kim Jong In says, sliding over to make room for me. The smart remark I had about treaing woman like servants dies when he smiles at me. I put my tray on the table along with the box of chocolates. Chanyeol introduces the new girl as Yura, who quickly corrects him.

"It's Yuri," she says, putting her tray on the table and sitting down.

"Right, Yuri, I meant Yuri." But Chanyeol is only half paying attention becuase he's already pulling open the box of chocolates.

"Is this what I think it is?" He pulls back the tissue paper and peers inside. "Awesome," he says. "Can I have one?" he asks, looking at me. I'm stuck. It's not like I can say Um, no actually they are for Kim Jong In and not someone who can't even pronounce robot.

"Sure," I say. He grabs two and drops them into his mouth one after the other.

"Dude," he says, closing his eyes. "You have got to try these." Kim Jong In takes one. I hold my breath, watching thinking what if the love potion does work? Then I check myself. This is reality. In reality as I know it, there's no such thing as magic. I look over at Chanyeol as he starts shoveling forkfuls of pancakes into his mouth. Okay, so in addition to being sort of moronic, he also has terrible manners.

"Soo Rin, these are awesome," Kim Jong In says, reaching for another truffle. I take a sip of my coffee and smile at him. I needn't have worried about what to talk about. The next several minutes are devoted to the guys shoving as much food into their mouths as they can in the shortest amount of time possible. I look over at Yuri, who seems too taken with Chanyeol to be bothered by his gluttony. In addition to eating their own breakfast, they inhale most of mine and Yuri's. The guys finish off their feast with the rest of my box of chocolates. They offer one to Yuri, who shakes her head primly, as if she couldn't possibly.

"So, Soo Rin," Chanyeol says, leaning back and looking at me. "Who's heart are you breaking now?"

I roll my eyes at him, but I'm aware that Kim Jong In is looking at me too. "I am currently unattached," I say, pretending to be much cooler than I feel.

Chanyeol smirks at me, then looks over at Kim Jong In. "Dude, watch out. She's ruthless." I feel my cheeks heating up. It's all I can do to avoid looking over to see his reaction.

"I'll take that under advisement," he says. I peek at him out of the corner of my eye and see him smiling at me. Chanyeol just laughs and puts his arm around Yuri, who looks like she's about to dissolve into a puddle of happiness. Luckily the bell signalling the end of zero period sounds, saving me from having to actually say anything. Yuri stacks the trays and gets up to return them. And of course the guys let her. Someone needs to tell her to stop being so servile.

"Thanks for breakfast, Chanyeol," I say. He just shrugs. I know money is nothing to him. His family is loaded.

The four of us head out to the hall, where we split off toward our various homerooms. I only make it about a dozen steps away before I hear my name behind me. I turn and look at Kim Jong In, standing there with a grin on his face. I notice that everyone else within earshot has turned and is looking at him too.

"See you around." He smiles at me then walks away down the hall, parting the crowds in front of him. All eyes are on me. Everyone wantes to know who Kim Jong In is going to "see around." I feel myself blushing all the way down into veggie sandals. I walk to my locker, hyperaware that people are still gawking at me. I open my locker, grab my perfect banana and pull out my books. It isn't until I spot another box of chocolates that I pause. What if—but I snap my locker shut before I can even finish the thought. If there were magic in the world, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't exist in Seoul. Seriously.

"And then what did he say?" Taeyeon asks. General school craziness kept me from talking to Taeyeon and Sulli all day long. I even spent lunchtime in the library getting a  head start on my Brit Lit midterm paper. I called them to tell them the details as soon as I got home, but Taeyeon told me to wait—they'd be right over. Luckily Mrs Jo is over her cold, so she can watch Minseok and Hyoyeon, giving me more time ( and some peace and quiet ) to actually get  my schoolwork done.

I'm nearly through my lab report for Biology when they arrive. We grab juice from the fridge ( orange, not acai ) and head up to my room. We're barely through the door before Taeyeon starts firing questions at me. I try to answer, but she's asking them so fast, I can't get a word in.

Sulli holds up her hand, silencing Taeyeon. "Tell us everything," she says.

I start with explaining our coach's rule about throwing up during practice and end where Kim Jong In told me he'd see me around. it takes forever to tell them the whole thing because Taeyeon keeps interrupting to ask random questions like "What was Kim Jong In wearing?" and "Did he smile when he ate the truffle?" They both seems more interested in whether I think the spell worked or not.

"No," I say. Then I see the look on Sulli's face and I amend my answer. "I don't know. Maybe." The light goes back on in Sulli's eyes. Maybe I'm just being grouchy. Even I have to admit that there's something going on. I mean, why after nearly two and a half years of high school does Kim Jong In suddenly pick today of all days to notice me? And yet, he noticed me before he ate the chocolates. I don't draw attention to that part, reminding myself that Sulli needs this.

"So what about you guys?" I ask. "How did it go with you?" Sulli starts laughing immediately and I'm surprised to see Taeyeon blush a little. "What?" I ask, feeling left out. It takes a minute before Sulli can compose herself enough to actually speak.

"So during lunch, we're sitting in our normal spot near the windows." I nod. "Kris and Joonmyun were sitting by themselves over near the coffee bar." I nod again. "So she just walks over to them sits down at their table." I look over at Taeyeon, who shrugs.

"What did they do?" I ask.

"At first they seemed surprised," Taeyeon says. I'll bet, I'm thinking. "But then I put the box of chocolates on the table. That got their attention."

"So that wasn't weird? Just walking up and giving them candy?" I ask.

"To a girl, yes. But guys are all about stomachs." Remembering the scene at breakfast, I nod.

"Then what happened?" I ask.

Taeyeon frowns. "That's when their girlfriends showed up."

"Ouch," I say. "What did they say?"

Taeyeon shrugs. "I got out of there. I didn't want some big drama."

"Tell her the rest," Sulli says, still smiling. I look over at Taeyeon, but she doesn't say anything. "So then we spent the rest of lunch watching the girlfriends feed Kris and Joonmyun Taeyeon's chocolates," Sulli says. I look back at Taeyeon, a little worried that she might be upset about it. The Plan was her idea after all, but she just waves her hand.

"It was a long shot," she says. I wait for more explanation, but she just looks away. There is definitely something fishy about how Taeyeon is acting.

"Sulli, tell Soo Rin about you," Taeyeon says, obviously trying to change my focus. It works. I look over at Sulli. I know she was worried about giving the candy to Daehyun. If I were Daehyun I'd worry. Worry that they were poisoned. But Sulli's not that girl. She's too nice.

"I dropped them off before rugby practice," she says. "At first I was just going to give Taemin his, but Daehyun was right there and I pretended like it was no big deal, like I had extras so he might as well have them." She look down at her hands.

"Was it hard to see him?" I ask softly. She nods, but won't look up at me. Tears fall onto the pillow she has cradled in her lap.

"I'm sorry," she says. She pushes the pillow to the floor and hurries out of the room. I hear the bathroom door shut behind her. Taeyeon and I don't say anything for a few moments.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," I say quietly so Sulli won't overhear.

Taeyeon looks over at me and for the first time I see doubt in her eyes. "What else can we do?" she asks.

"Wait it out," I say, but I think of my mother and how long it's taking her to finally let go of Yunho. I sigh. "She needs a distraction."

"Like what?" Taeyeon asks.

There I'm at a loss. My phone barks. My mother. I pick it up. "Hello?" I say. It's loud on her end. Voices and the whir of fans.

"Soo Rin, I'm going to be late again," she says. "I've already talked to Mrs Jo. She's going to get Minseok and Hyoyeon ready for bed over there."

"It's okay, Mom. You don't have to pay her for that. I'll watch them." My mother sighs and I can see her fighting with herself, biting her lip.

"You sure?" she asks finally.

"I'm sure. I'll just keep adding to that You Owe Me list I have going."

She laughs. "It might be long before this season is out."

Suddenly inspiration strikes. "Mom, why don't you get some help?"

"I don't have the time to find someone and then train them. And I can't trust just anyone to take on some of this stuff." The voices get louder and I hear my mother say something to someone there in the shop. "I have to go, Soo Rin. I'll call Mrs Jo back. Thank you again."

"No problem," I say, but the line is already dead. I toss the phone on the bed and look over at Taeyeon. "I'm about to solve two problems with one stone."

"Don't you mean kill two birds with one stone?" Taeyeon asks.

"Yes, but that's cruel." She laughs and tosses the pillow at me. We hear the bathroom door open and Sulli comes around the corner. She's stopped crying, but her eyes are red and she's sniffling into a tissue.

"I have the best idea in the whole world," I say. Sulli raises her eyebrows at me. I quickly explain that my mother needs help at the shop and I think it would really be good if she had something to do other than miss Daehyun.

"I think it's an excellent idea," Taeyeon comments. It sort of makes me mad that Sulli seems unsure until Taeyeon says that. Like my opinion isn't quite enough to make her consider it. "And," Taeyeon says, drawing out the word, "being around all those flowers and all that romance is definitely going to get you in the Valentine's Day spirit." Why do I have the feeling that a new phase of The Plan is in the works?

"Did you mom agree to this?" Sulli asks.

"Oh, she will. My mother loves you," I say. What I don't say that love her or not, my mother is desperate. Sulli nods and gives one more sniff before reaching to throw her tissue in the trash. In the process, she accidentally knocks my heart paperweight off the desk. Papers go everywhere, and even though I tell her not to worry about it, she scrambles to pick them up. She picks up the last paper and looks at it.

"Junsu?" she asks. It's the slip of paper with my father's phone number on it. I just nod. "Are you going to call him?" she asks.

"I'm thinking about it." What I mean is that I'm trying not to think about it, but not succeeding very well.

"Who's Junsu?" Taeyeon asks. Before I can answer, she continues. "Is he cute?" I sigh, but then there's a loud thump on the roof, saving me from answering.

Taeyeon doesn't scream this time. She just jumps up, runs to my window and sticks her head out. "Hi, Sehun," she says. I can't hear exactly what he says, but I can hear his tone of voice and he sounds more than a little nervous. Taeyeon's intensity can make anyone a little nervous.

"Tell him to come over," I say, taking some pity on him. She tells him and pulls her head back in. Her eyes are shiny and her cheeks are flushed.

She sighs and pretends to fan herself like she's Scarlett in Gone With The Wind or something. "He sure is yummy." She is halfway out the door when she turns and looks at us. "Too bad we don't have any more candy," she says.

"Yes," I say, remembering that Sehun already had some of it last night. "It is too bad." Taeyeon starts down the stairs. I wait for Sulli. I don't know what else to say, so I just take her arm and give it a squeeze. We walk downstairs like that, arm in arm, and I feel a little like Scarlett myself, although our suitcase is carpeted and narrow and I'm wearing jeans and a Changmin the Candy man shirt. And Sulli is no Rhett Butler. I shake my head, wondering if all the romance in the air is making my brain mushy.

author's note. 

Yes peeps. I'm updating so frequently now. Its like practically every day or two days. But I think you all don't mind that anyways. It just means more updates for you all. Hehehehe.

And to all those wonderful subscribers out there, thank you so much!

More sarang for you great people. Huehuehue.

Yes, that means you too Bacon and maknae.