When I walked into the restaurant, I was not expecting the place to be closed.  In fact, even the workers seemed to have taken the day off.  But Yuri sat across Lu Han at a table near the back of the restaurant, and when I walked in, she motioned for me to sit down.  I did, smiling at her as I sat.

“Hanbyul!  So glad that you could make it!”

“No problem, unnie.”

Yuri poured me a glass of water.  “So let me get this straight, since I kind of jumped to conclusions on the phone.  Kris said that he liked you, and you…couldn’t find an answer.”

I nodded.  “It was out of the blue.  I wasn’t prepared for a confession.”

Yuri stared at me with eyes that were filled with sympathy.  Lu Han had the same pity in his eyes.  I kind of felt offended and awkward at the same time; they were looking at me like I was their kid who just received her first confession of ever.  WHICH, FOR CLARIFICATION IS UNTRUE I HAVE DATED BEFORE.

“Actually, Hanbyul,” Lu Han said, “I could tell that Kris liked you.”

“What?” My jaw dropped.

“As time passed, it became obvious, actually.  You just chose not to see it.”

I sighed.  I really need to become more observant.  “But…the problem is, I don’t know if I like him back.”

“Well…that’s for you to figure out,” Yuri replied.  “Anyway, if you do end up accepting his confession, then there are some things you should probably know about Kris.”

“Eh?  Like what?” My eyes widened in alarm.

“Blood type O.  Can speak many different languages.  Loves basketball.  Want me to continue?” Yuri asked.

I nodded, slightly intimidated by the fact that she knew so many things about him.  But they are childhood friends after all…that’s something I can never be to Kris.

“He’s always loved fashion, and that’s probably the reason why he loves his job so much.”

“Ah…”

“But enough about Kris,” Yuri said, probably noticing my change in mood.  “Today’s about helping you, Hanbyul.  Which is, of course, why I brought Lu Han to help.”

“What now?” Lu Han frowned.  “I just thought that we were meeting up with Hanbyul.  I didn’t know that I had to play a part in this.”

“But it’s fine, right?” Yuri smiled.  “Since you have a girlfriend, you’re the best resource we have.”

Lu Han became stiff.  “Right.”

I wasn’t following her logic, but then again, I had a hard time following logic in general.  “If it’s too troubling, then you don’t—”

“No, no,” Lu Han replied, shaking his head.  “It’s fine.  I’ll do it.”

“Perfect.” Yuri smiled again.

If I had known what was going to happen, I never would’ve agreed to Lu Han’s participation.

<:>

“So this is your script,” Yuri said, handing a stack of papers to Lu Han.  Turning to me, she continued, “And this is your script, Hanbyul.”

“Okay.”

“Basically, I made this easy for you two.  Just read the lines off of the paper and try to be natural.  You don’t want to sound awkward in front of Kris, right, Hanbyul?”

I nodded.  But do I even have a choice at this point?  Flipping through the script, I noticed that she was actually a pretty good writer.  But I guess I shouldn’t be one to judge others’ writing skills, considering my wonderful writing skills (see Chapter 19 for a reminder of my wonderful writing skills). 

Lu Han cleared his throat.  “Shall we start?”

I nodded.  Squinting at the line, I started to read.  “Why are you acting like this?”

Yuri made a coughing noise, and I turned to face her.

“More expression, Hanbyul.”

Sighing, I reread the line.  “Why are you acting like this?”

Yuri giggled.  “Great!  Continue.”

Seems like you’re the only one having fun, unnie.  I noticed Lu Han’s discomfort, and, remembering that he had a girlfriend, continued, “Hey Lu Han, you don’t have to do this.  Your girlfriend—”

“I love you.”

“Er…what now?”

“The script, Hanbyul.  Read the script.” He gestured toward the paper.

“Right.  Uh…okay.” I looked at the next line.  “I don’t…all of a sudden…”

Lu Han shook his head.  “No, since the first day I met you, I’ve been in love with you.”

WOW THIS GUY COULD BE AN ACTOR HE’S SO GOOD. 

“But…”

“You’re obsessed with manga, slightly rude, and really dense, and I know that you’ll never be able to return my feelings…but I’ll never give up on you.”

OKAY THIS GUY NEEDS TO START HIS KDRAMA CAREER RIGHT NOW WHERE DO YOU SIGN HIM UP FOR THIS.

“Hanbyul, the script.”

“Oh, right.”  I blushed.  LET ME REPEAT, I FREAKING BLUSHED BECAUSE THE SITUATION WAS SO CRINGEWORTHY.  I cannot even begin to fathom the shoujo manga-ness of this situation.  ALL WE NEED IS SOME KRIS TO SHOW UP AND MISUNDERSTAND THE WHOLE SITUATION—

“Hanbyul.”

OH HERE WE GO.  WAY TO GO AUTHOR.  THANK YOU.  SO MUCH.  Instead of rage-quitting like I wanted to (dammit, Lynnie-chan, write me a better story), I turned around, looked Kris straight in the eye, and began to communicate using my telepathy.  Don’t misunderstand.  Don’t misunderstand.

“I’m sorry, did I miss something here?” he asked coolly, raising an eyebrow.

Don’t misunderstand.

“Because it looked like my best friend was confessing to my girlfriend.”

AND HE FREAKING MISUNDERSTOOD.  C’mon Kris, we need better mental communication.

“I don't know what’s going on here, but I’m going to need someone to explain this situation to me—”

Feeling sick of his idiocy, I walked over to him, grabbed his tie, and in a stunning turn of events, kissed him.