Minseok sees signs. He can tell when a bud is ready to bloom, when the cake is perfectly baked and so on down to the exact moment when a person falls in love. So when Miyoung looks at him, concerned and trying to figure out why he is so dazed, he takes a deep breathe. She's in love. With him. This isn't a good sign. He thinks back to when it started. He can't place his finger on it. Perhaps it was when he let her call him 'oppa'. Perhaps it was when he started accepting her quick one armed hugs and touches. Perhaps...

He looks at her innocent eyes. Oh.

Perhaps she doesn't know it yet.

Minseok has had a fair share of admirers. It's embarrassing but he has to be firm while letting them down. He isn't cruel enough to lead them on to his own ego. But with Miyoung it is different. Miyoung doesn't even know it herself. She still believes that when she reaches out for Minseok it is an unconscious act with no motive. When she smiles at something he says, it's because she finds it really funny. No one understand his humour so when she does laugh he feels grateful. But now he sees it in an entirely different light.

"It's getting late so I'll be on my way" Miyoung tells him. "Do you want me to drop you till your dorm?" Minseok asks her. It's late at night and he doesn't want her to walk alone. "I'll be fine. It's not that far off" Miyoung says with a casual shrug. "If you say so" he replies, watching her. "Okay then" she ends the conversation. She hesitates before waving him good bye and walking away. Minseok watches for a second before deciding that he probably should have gone with her. But she takes a turn and siappears and Minseok calls it a missed chance.

Miyoung's lack of insistence or hints means that she still doesn't know.

"What do you think of Miyoung?" Minseok asks Jongdae over lunch. They are at the local Chinese restaurant stuffing cheap egg rolls into their mouth. Minseok briefly remembers Miyoug saying she is partial to eggs over meat and everyone on the table being scandalized. Meat is a luxury no one passes up. Except maybe Miyoung.

"Think of her in what context?" Jongdae asks. "I don't know. Of her as a person or something" Minseok lies, hiding his real motive. "I think she is okay. What I think is not okay is you asking me that all of a sudden. Do you like Miyoung or something?" Jongdae asks him. Minseok snorts as if it is the most incredulous thing in the world. It isn't. Miyoung is a nice person. Just not for him. "Well whatever you say" Jongdae says carefully looking at the elder. Minseok knows that look in his eye. Jongdae has an idea forming in his head. 

He doesn't regret it till a week later when he finds Miyoung who looks at him and blushes faintly before looking away. Miyoung is no longer unaware of her disposition and he doesn't know if it is a good thing or not. He does know that he should never ask Jongdae things anymore.

"Miyoung!" Minseok calls out with a wave. The girl in question starts before waving back at him. "You are out late" he notes. Miyoung usually stays in on sundays, claiming them to be the only days she gets some rest on. But its eight on a sunday night and he finds Miyoung on the steps of the library. "Oh, I just needed to do some research for an assignment and I didn't find an ebook for the book I needed. So I decided to hit the library" she tells him, brushing her hair out of her face. It's grown long. This must be the longest length of her hair that he has seen her in.

"So, did you manage to find what you were looking for?" he asks her, kicking a random pebble. "Yeah. I actually managed to get some work done in the library" Miyoung says, surprised herself. "You're on your way to something?" she asks him. "Just to the cafe. Coffee craving and I ran out of instant mixes" he tells her. "I won't be in your way then. But you should head over quickly. It closes early on Sundays" she told him. "Oh . Yeah" he hits his head as he remembers. Miyoung hides a grin. "Good night oppa" she wishes him. She's about to leave when he calls out to her.

"Do you want to go to the cafe with me?" Minseok asks. Miyoung tenses up a little and he wonders if that was a smart move. It felt like the right thing to say given the situation but he also doesn't want to give her the wrong idea. "I still have to work on my assignment so raincheck?" she asks, gesturing to the books in her hand guiltily. "Oh yeah. It's cool. Some other time maybe" he finishes lamely. She nods and turns and leaves. He heads over to the cafe praying they haven't closed up yet while simultaneously beating himself up over the awkwardness of that conversation with Miyoung.

The hugs have stopped Minseok realizes. So have the unconscious touches or looks. Miyoung's hands rest folded on her lap when they aren't busy with the menu or her phone. Baekhyun on the side does a funny thing that has the entire table cracking up. Miyoung holds back her laughter but doesn't succeed when Taeyeon notices and Chanyeol tickles her to get the laughter out. Everyone cheers as Chanyeol finally manages to get Miyoung to laugh. Even Minseok grins and he has been silent all night due to the exhaustion of the past week.

Kyungsoo is the first to leave. He takes Chanyeol and Jongdae along because they are riding with him. Baekhyun leaves with Taeyeon next, hoping to get some alone time. Miyoung and Minseok are left to wait by the awning of the flower shop in front of the cafe for the bus to take them back  to campus. "Are you cold?" Minseok asks when he notices Miyoung rub her arms now and then. "Not really. It's more out of habit" she tells him. Her cheeks are pink and the tip of her nose has turned red. Her fingers curl up into fists to soak the warmth of her palm and he can totally tell she is lying. There is a slight chill in the evening air and Minseok can feel it through his jacket. Miyoung is only wearing a thin shrug over her dressy top and jeans.

"This will help" he says, pulling out a muffler from his bag. He kept it in case of emergencies. He doesn't want to catch a cold. He wraps it gently around her neck, causing her to stay still in surprise. "Oppa! what are you doing?" she asks when she manages to understand the reason for his sudden proximity. It's been too long since he has heard her call him oppa and it sounds musical in the moment. "What does it look like I am doing?" Minseok asks her. "You are strangling me!" she says with a laugh. Minseok makes a face and then tightens and pulls the muffler just to mess with her. "Oppa!" she protests and he stops. He lifts the muffler upto her nose and kisses the tip of her nose.

Their faces are red as they climb onto the bus but it has nothing to do with the cold night.

"So... you kissed Miyoung" Taeyeon says, cornering Minseok at the library when they are supposed to be doing an assignment together. "Did she tell you that?" Minseok asks, going through his notes, "Are you going to deny it?" Taeyeon asks sharply. "No. I was just asking you obvious questions" he tells her. Taeyeon glares and he raises his hands in defeat. 

"Yeah I kissed her. Sort of. On her nose. Didn't expect to be confronted about it" he accepts. "Was it a heat of the moment thing?" Taeyeon asks. "Maybe. I don't know" he avoids the question. He didn't mean to. He did it without realizing it. But he knows that is the wrong answer with Taeyeon. "You know she likes you right? Don't mess with her feelings if you don't" she tells him with a final glare. Minseok runs his hand over his hair. He knows it better than anyone else. But he no longer knows what he feels.

"One grean tea latte please."

Minseok recognizes that voice instantly. He looks over to the cash counter to see Miyoung handing over money to the worker manning it. She picks up her latte and Minseok waves at her. "Oppa! Hi!" she says cheerfully. "Someone looks happy" he says with a smile. Miyoung nods enthusiastically. "My mini project is done! I am officially free for the rest of the semester" she says with the biggest smile he has seen in a while.

"You're here for coffee?" she asks Minseok. "The one and only" he replies. "Your love for coffee is heartwarming" she exclaims dramatically. "Glad something is warming. I have been freezing to death in this weather" he grumbles. "Oh!" Miyoung exclaims as she remembers something. She rummages her bag and fishes out the muffler he lent her that day. She wraps it around him messily, blushing as she remembers the previous time the muffler was used. "I was going to ask Jongdae to return it to you but I ran into you first" she tells him, a little shyly. 

"Don't I get a kiss too?" Minseok pouts. Miyoung finds it the cutest thing she has ever seen but the request makes her blush. Minseok folds his arms and raises an eyebrow when she doesn't move. She whines a bit but when she realizes that he was serious, she leans forward and gives him a kiss on his cheek. Minseok smiles and she smiles back though embarrassed about the entire affair. Miyoung concentrates on her latte and Minseok plays around with his cappucino. This isn't too bad.

"Where is my hug?"

"You didn't call me oppa today"

"Miyoung, you don't love me anymore!"

Minseok takes to annoying Miyoung like bees to flowers for honey. It is rather fun to watch her get flustered and either follow through or avoid the discussion altogether. When flustered, Miyoung tends to deny compulsively but the blush on her cheeks or the look in her eyes gives it away. As a last resort she reverts to fight or flight with flight as her preferred choice. She runs away when he starts teasing her too much. So he takes to hugging her and pulling her close.

"I want a hug" he says with a pout. "Okay. Jongdae can give you one" Miyoung tells him. She stands up, takes her book and almost makes a dash for it but Minseok pulls her back. "Oppa!" she protests before literally being squished from the back. Minseok hugs her and isn't planning on letting go for a while. He swings from side to side with a mischievious grin as Miyoung protests about how unfair this is and Jongdae just laughs at the pair. Minseok announces that he likes hugging Miyoung and is probably going to fall asleep in that position because it is very comfortable and that is when she hits him with her book.

"Miyoung~" Minseok sings. Miyoung pauses the song and removes her headphones to concentrate on him. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he asks her. She racks her brain in case she has forgotten something but the search comes up empty. So she shakes her head and looks at him innocently.

Minseok has been thinking. It's time to be straightforwards about what he feels. But he wants Miyoung to take the first step this time. But if he knows her then he can bet that she will be too shy to say anything. He leans forward, into her space and smiles at her. "Are you sure?" he asks her. She nods, color rising to her cheeks at the proximity. "Okay then" he says simply, but not moving away. "Oppa!" she says reluctantly. "Oppa!" he copies her. "Don't do that!" she starts. "Don't do that!" he repeats. "Not funny" she whines. "Not funny" he mimes her hand movements. She frowns and he frowns too. She pushes him away and he tugs her closer. She buries her head in his chest and groans. He laughs in reply. Maybe when she is ready. He is content with knowing that she does like him back for now.

-x-

A/N - I had no clue how to finish this.