Today’s Sweetheart Search is featured in a mall.  There’s a live screening of it by the outdoor fountain; it turns out Luhan’s uncle owns the complex and is helping us promote the project (but not around actual advertisements, of course.  That would lose him money.)  

   I’m dead last again, and I’m okay with it.  I’m Sehun’s beacon at the end of each episode, and it’s rewarding.  Hyerin says I have a growing fan-base and it’s touching, to say the least.  I feel bad that I’m going to let so many people down and not choose Sehun, but it’s nice to know that so many people like me.  

   When it’s my turn, Sehun reaches for my hand and I happily grab it, unafraid and willing.  Friends can hold hands.  Besides, he does it with all the other girls; it’s not special if he does it with me.  

   “I don’t think I told you, but I like your clothes today,” he jokes.  I’m wearing the red tracksuit again.  The mall is kind of chilly; plus, it’s my trademark image.  

   “You should see my closet.  When I open it up, it’s just several pairs of the same tracksuit over and over again.”

   “Really?”  He asks.

   “No!”  I laugh and swing our hands up high.  It’s a little cuter than punching him.  “So, what have you done already?  I want to make our date extra special, so we can’t repeat anything you’ve done today.”

   “The toy store was really cool, though,” he whines.  

   “Toy store?  How about the Halloween store?”

   “Haven’t been there yet,” he shrugs.  “That‘s technically not mall property.  It’s off the lot.” 

   “Doesn’t matter if it isn’t mall property; this entire complex is owned by the same guy,” I explain.  Sehun’s face brightens and he squeezes my hand before letting go.

   “We’re running out of time.  Guess I’ll have to race you to the store,” he sighs before taking off.  I hate running, so I look at him with my mouth hanging open before I run after him.  

   “Hey!  Oh Sehun!  You can’t leave me like this!”  I shout, but it’s no use.  He’s already out the door, and my words fail to reach him despite echoing throughout the mall.  

   When we reach the Halloween store, the camera crew is shuffling behind us at a reasonable distance.  Sehun holds the door open for them when we get there, which I kind of swoon over.  He feels bad that we made them run while they carried cameras.  

   The costumes we check out are hideous.  We put all types of gory masks on before we find the costume for a baby and a mom.  How random. 

   “I want to be the mom,” Sehun shouts as he puts on the costume.  I adorn myself with the baby’s costume and fall to the ground to have a tantrum.  

   “Mommy, my tummy hurts,” I whine.  He laughs, crouches down where I am, and I put my arms out.  “Hold me and rock me.”  

   “Ew, gross.  I piggy-backed you once. That was enough skinship for me.”

   “MOMMY!”  I cry.  He chuckles and lifts me off the ground, hands under my knees and shoulders.  I wrap my arms around his neck and he rocks me back and forth. 

   “Shhhh, my baby.  Everything is okay,”  he whispers, and I look up at him with my eyebrows scrunched together.  He can’t see through the mask, and thank goodness.  I don’t care if I’m dressed as a baby; he called me his baby, and that is making me go wild. 

   But not really.  I remain calm in his arms.  It’s my mind and heart that do all the racing.   

   He puts me down and we take our costumes off.  An employee finally comes over to assist us.  When he sees me, it’s like he’s looking at a movie star.  Is this one of my fans?

   “You’re Eunji!”  He shouts.  He’s cute enough, I guess; thick rimmed glasses, average height, enough meat on his bones.  “I’ve been watching the Sweetheart Search since the second episode, and I’ve fallen in love with you!”  

   Okay.  He’s weird.  

   “Oh, thank you,” I awkwardly laugh. “I didn’t know I had male fans.” 

   “Are you kidding?  That’s almost your entire fan-base!”  He tells me.  I look at Sehun, who’s just ignoring the guy and continuing to browse through costumes.  I wish he’d do something to help me out here.  “Your tracksuit is so cute; it’s your main image. And you were so pretty at the canal the other night.  We keep watching the show in hopes that you break it off with Sehun; we want you to ourselves!”

   “I don’t even know you--”  I start.

   “Oh, sorry.  I’m Eugene.  I go to your university.  A lot of your fans do.  We’re secretly watching you.”

   “That’s scary,” I mumble.  

   I feel a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and a pair of warm lips plant themselves on my right cheek.  The same cheek that Baekhyun kissed.  But this isn’t just an ordinary peck...  It lingers on my skin. 

   “Well I’m watching over her, so don’t do anything that I’ll make you regret,” Sehun coolly states.  “Come on, Eunji.  Our slot is over.”  He grabs my hand and we march out of the store.  When we get to the mall, he let’s go of my hand to run his through his hair.  

   “That was weird.”

   “No, I should have expected it sooner or later,” he calmly tells me.  He looks at me with sincere eyes and places a hand on my shoulder.  Then, he faces the film guys.  “Turn the cameras off and go back.  You have enough footage of us,” he demands, and the cameramen listen.  They walk off and he puts his other hand on my other shoulder.  He crouches down and gives me a look with those soft orbs of light that he calls eyes.  

   “What?”  I ask weakly.  My voice cracks, and I feel pathetic, but it’s all I can say to him.  I don’t have the courage to say more.  What was that kiss on the cheek all about?  Sure, I wanted him to help me out; I didn’t know he would do that!  I mean, I don’t mind that he did it...

   “I meant it when I told you you’re pretty,” he murmurs.  I gulp and nod.  Words are too hard to form.  “No more red tracksuit from now on; at least, not in public.  It gives you away.  We have to preserve you.”  He looks away and then starts backing up.  He looks so pained and stressed and everything I want him to not look like.  “We have to preserve you for Baekhyun,” he bluntly states, and I half wish he hadn’t added that part.  “I’ll start advising you tomorrow, top floor of the library, an hour before we meet up with Hyerin.”

   “Okay,” I whisper.      

   When we reach the others, Baekhyun is extending his arms out to me.  I run to him and he leads me away from the scene, to his car, and drives me back to my dorm.  We both know I’m not getting cut, anyway.  Might as well ditch the last few minutes of filming.  

   “Are you aware of how long you held hands with him?”  Baekhyun teases.  I groan and grab his hand.  

   “Hey, it was out of friendship.  Friends can hold hands.”

   “Are you holding my hand just because we’re friends?”  He asks.  I rub my thumb across the top of his knuckles and shake my head.

   “No,” I mumble.

   “So, is there something special to you holding my hand?”  He probes.  I take a deep breath and exhale.

   “Yes,” I release.  His hand becomes tight around mine, and he lifts it to give it a quick kiss.  

   “If we’re boyfriend and girlfriend a few weeks down the road, I’m going to hold your hand all the time.  If it weren’t for the dating probation because of the Sweetheart Search, I’d already be yours...” He informs me.  Blush is flooding my face, once again.  I really need to get that under control.  “We could secretly date~”  

   “No,” I blurt a little too quickly.  Baekhyun’s grip loosens.  I don’t want to tell him I’ve developed dual interest in him and Sehun, so I come up with a little white lie.  “I’ve got so many male fans, Baek.  That one tonight said they’re watching me.  If they got wind of even a little scandal, it would blow up.”

   Baekhyun sighs, releases my hand, and makes the final turn before we get to my dorm.  

   “You’re right.  Darn your cuteness,” he laughs.  I roll my eyes and lean against the window; it feels like the only support I have for my heavy heart.  

   I don’t kiss him on the cheek tonight.  I’m too scared someone is actually watching me.  Instead, I sweetly tell him goodnight and explain how much I want to kiss his cheek, but how we’d have to wait until we were in absolute privacy. 

   “It’s not fair,” he cutely complains.  “Sehun can kiss you and it airs in front of thousands of people, but I can’t even do it in my car, with tinted windows.”  

   I clench my fists and look around.  No one is near, and no one is watching.  I lean forward to kiss his cheek, but he spins his face around and our lips come together. 

   Fast and to-the-point.  

   I quickly pull away and stare at him in disbelief. 

   “I took your first kiss, didn’t I?”  He chuckles.  “It’ll serve to remind me that you’ll come to me when this is all over.”

   I blink rapidly, swallow difficultly, and scramble out of the car.  

   “Thanks for the ride,” I say before running in and making my way to my room. 

   Baekhyun kissed me.  On the lips.  I guess that means we’re off to a good start? 

   I lost my first kiss to Baekhyun.

   I lost.  My first kiss.  To Baekhyun.

   I’d been predicting it for weeks, but why am I so surprised?  

   First kisses are stinkers.  They really get your heart worked up over something so physically small.    

a/n: just like i said~ here's another chapter for you my lovelies!!!  welcome to the sweetheart search, new subbies and old subbies!  <3 so how about sehun, eh?  what was that kiss on the cheek really, about?  erasing baekhyun's; possible jealousy over the store guy hitting on her; protection because HE LIKES EUNJI?  OMO no way