When Hyerin and I get back to our dorm room, I check my phone and see that it’s flooded with texts from Baekhyun (I left it in the room before filming and got swept away to the mall before I could come get it.)  This time it’s an unusually large amount-- usually it’s a typical hello, goodbye sort of thing.  I feel really bad as I scroll through all of the messages he sent me.

    Baekhyun: Hey Eunji, just checking to make sure you got to the mall okay.  I     heard about a small car accident on the highway and just wanted to know if     you’re alright.  

    Baekhyun: I really hope you text me back as soon as you can, I’m very worried

    Baekhyun: Eunji?  

    Baekhyun: Maybe your phone is off or something, but as soon as you turn it     back on you should text me

    Baekhyun: I emailed Eunsang to see if she knows anything and she doesn’t.      Now we’re both worried.  

    Eunsang: Are you okay?  Baekhyun told me you were in an accident.  

    Baekhyun: I saw Kai on campus and demanded he text Luhan.  Glad to know     you’re safe.

    Baekhyun: So, now I’m just spamming your phone for the fun of it >:3 

    Baekhyun: You look really cute in that tracksuit <(^o^)> But I want you to wear     something nice on our date tomorrow 

    Baekhyun: Oh yeah, we’re going on a date tomorrow.  Did I forget to tell you? 

    Baekhyun: Doesn’t matter.  You’re coming.  Meet me at 6 at the bell tower.  I’ll     be waiting (>3<) 

   --

   Apparently I’m going on a date with Baekhyun today.  I didn’t have much of a say in it, either.  When I texted him last night to tell him I’d think about it, he kept blowing up my phone with text messages that consisted of nothing more than frowny faces.  Since the guy is so excited for this, I might as well dress nicely.  

   I don’t want to look too nice, but I don’t want to look too casual.  Baekhyun won’t tell me where we’re going, he just told me to dress nicely.  So, here I am digging through my closet in hopes of finding something just right.  Someone knocks on my door and interrupts me.  I try to ignore it but they keep knocking.  I look through the eye-hole and see that it’s Eunsang.  Quickly, I throw the door open and drag her into my room.  

   “I’m-going-on-a-date-with-Baekhyun-what-should-I-wear?” I ask in one long breath.  She smiles and gives me a hug. 

   “I’m so proud of you, Eunji.  Maybe you’ll get your first kiss?”  She mischievously wriggles her eyebrows at me.  

   “Not today,” I sigh and go back to my closet.  “So?  What do you think?  What should I wear?”  

   “How about the black dress you bought yesterday?”

   “But then I’d be an outfit repeater and wear it at the next filming.”

   “That didn’t stop you from wearing the tracksuit twice, did it?” She laughs, and I laugh with her.

   “The tracksuit is different; it describes who I am.  The rest of my wardrobe doesn’t,” I joke, and we both smile at each other, genuinely, for the first time in a long time.  I’m glad that she’s not upset with me for entering this competition anymore, and I hope I can keep it that way.  She’s my best friend, after all.  

   “Well, if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s the fact that you’re an innocent sweetheart.  What you need is a white dress.”  

   “White?”

   “I have the perfect one for you to borrow.  Stay here,” she says and skips out of the room.  I sigh with content and sit on my bed until she gets back.  

   I’m so nervous about this date with Baekhyun.  What if he tries to kiss me?  What if I kiss him back?  What if we fall in love and get married and raise a family together?  

   My heart hits the walls around it with great power and I almost squeal with glee.  I put my fists against my smile and sigh again, happily and whole-heartedly.

   “Someone looks like they’re in love,” Eunsang sassily comments when she comes back in the room.  I shake my head and look at her sternly.

   “Not in love.  Just daydreaming.”  I get up and scan the dress she chose for me.  “Eunsang...  This is beautiful.  Are you sure I can borrow it?”  

   It’s a lace dress with a lower-thigh length A-line skirt and a beautiful gold underlining.  The sleeves are short but  just long enough to touch my elbow.  Honestly, I want it for myself.

   “Of course,” she chirps.  “I think you’ll stun Baekhyun.”  

   “Thank you,”   I manage to say.  Now I’m scared that I really will stun Baekhyun and that he’ll actually try to kiss me.  

---

   The bell tower is funny looking to me.  I don’t understand why so many people revere it as a beautiful landmark, when really it’s just three stone columns holding a bell up.  I let it slide, though, because a cute boy is standing between those columns, at the top of the steps, waiting for me.  Fortunately he sees me and comes down, because I am wearing pumps.  Listen, I already fall up and down stairs all the time.  The addition of pumps makes me a lethal weapon-- a sharp, rapidly spinning object.  

   Baekhyun is wearing a suit, and I can’t help but swoon.  He notices, too.

   “Falling for my good looks?”  He asks, and I shake my head-- which brings me back to reality and doesn’t give him much satisfaction.  I don’t know why I play hard to get, but doesn’t everybody?  

   “You do look handsome,” I mumble and touch his tie.  “Did you tie this yourself?”

   “Yes.  I thought about holding off on it, though, and making you tie it, just to be smooth.”  

   “It’s a good thing you did it because I know nothing of tying ties,” I gently admit with a smile.  He grins at me and tucks my arm in his.

   “My car is this way, follow me~” he cooes, and I listen.  

   His car isn’t anything spectacular, but it’s more than I have.  It’s a tiny 2 door, 4 seater (maybe 3... The backseat is incredibly small) but there’s enough room for me to feel comfortable and for Baekhyun to look cool while driving it.  I swear, this guy can make anything look good.  The way he puts the key in the ignition.  The way he starts driving.  The way he turns the radio on.  

   His choice of music is way different than what I expect, though.  

   “Gee gee gee gee baby, baby, baby~” he sings and I can’t stop laughing.  It turns out that Byun Baekhyun is an incredibly active SONE, owning all of the Girls’ Generation albums and being a member of their official fanclub, as well as a member of various Taeyeon fanclubs. 

   “I’ve never met a die hard SONE that was a boy,” I laugh.  He turns to me and gives me a wink.  

   “I have molded myself to be the ideal boyfriend for Taeyeon.  All of the lyrics she sings, all of her Instagram posts, all of her radio show appearances-- I take note of all of them.  There’s no way she could turn me down.”

   “Would you still date her if you were dating someone else?”  I shyly ask.  

   “Of cour-- wait, why are you asking?”  He questions with a grin on his face.  I burry my face in my hands because I know I’m blushing a ridiculous amount.  

   “I was just wondering!”

   “Well, well,” he says in a manner that sounds exactly like Maleficent, then changes back to his normal voice.  “I must say, I have a curse.”

   “A curse?”

   “On the eve of my sixteenth birthday, I pricked me finger.”

   “And fell into a sleep like death?”

   “No!”  He yells, but I can tell it wasn’t a serious yell.  “When I pricked my finger, the curse began: if I date a girl whose surname is Choi, I can’t leave her for Kim Taeyeon.”  There is silence in the car for a few seconds.  I hold my breath, and I can tell Baekhyun is looking at the road more fiercely than usual.  Maybe he’s just as embarrassed as I am.  “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”

    I laugh, and things are back to the way they were when we went to the coffee shop-- smooth and fun.  

---

   “This place is pretty expensive, Baekhyun,” I whisper in fear of offending the waitresses.  “Did you know that before we came here?”

   “Of course I did.  Hence the suit,” he says while gesturing to his outfit and I smile.  

   “I didn’t bring that much money with me--”

   “Don’t be silly, I’m paying for your dinner,” he chuckles.  “Girls like you.”

   “Girls like me?”

   “Girls like you don’t know how to depend on a man.  But trust me.  I’ve got you covered,” he suavely tells me while he takes a sip of his water.  The water is in a wine glass, so even though it isn’t fancy alcohol, he still looks super good drinking from that glass.  His Adam’s Apple bobs up and down so gracefully, and his eyes looks so gentle as he closes them to take a sip. 

   I need to stop looking at him this way.  He’s not a piece of meat.  He’s a human being.  But he has been really nice to me these past few days, and he acts like he wants to continue to do so.  I really want him to kiss me, but I also really don’t want to.  I’ve only known him for four days. I need to put my desires aside.  

   “I hope the reason you’re thinking so hard is because you don’t know what to order for dinner,” he comments, and I look up at his gently beaming face.  “Is everything okay?”

   “Yeah, there’s just so much food on here and I don’t know what to get,” I lie, and I know he can tell, but he doesn’t ask any more questions and greets the waitress when she comes back to the table.  

   “I’d like a steak, medium rare, with a side of broccoli and also another side

   I swear, everything this boy does puts me in a trance.  Even when he’s just ordering food. 

   “And for you, miss?”  The waitress asks.  

   “I’d just like the tuna.  No sides or anything.  Just tuna,” I ask, aware that I probably sound really weird.  I should’ve asked for a side, just to look normal.

   “Would you like a salad as an appetizer, for us to share?”  Baekhyun sweetly asks me, unaffected by my oddness.  I nod, he smiles, and the waitress puts it on the bill.  When she leaves, Baekhyun leans forward in his chair.  “Let me know if there’s something wrong, okay?”

   “Okay,” I smile.  “Nothing is wrong.  I promise.  It’s just...  I mean, you’re a boy, and I’m a girl.”

   “And?”

   Of all the things I was wishing he wouldn’t say, “And” was at the top of the list.  That requires answering. 

   “And I just don’t know how to act in a date setting,” I admit.  “I mean, you’re a very cute boy, and I like to think I’m a nice girl, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in this situation.”  

   “Just be yourself,” he cooes.  Even though he’s across the table from me, I feel his warmth wrapping around me like an embrace.  “What exactly are you afraid of?”

   “Not being good enough, rushing into things, etcetera,” I mumble.  Blush is crossing my face, and I’m sure I look like a tomato.  

   “We won’t rush.  We’re not even dating, technically.  We’re just on a date.  And you’re perfect, Eunji; don’t let any guy every tell you anything different.”  

   “Thank you,” I say, somewhat relieved.  “I’m sorry I’m so awkward.”

   “It’s cute,” he compliments, and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.  

   We eat dinner.  We talk.  We go out for a walk in the crisp fall air of the evening.  

   “I’m really glad we did this,” I tell him and he beams.  I love it when I can make him do that.  “It’s such a beautiful night.”  And it is.  Bands are playing on patios of restaurants, couples are holding hands and walking around, looming on the docks of the canal and sharing romantic moments together.

   “I’m glad we did this, too.  I think we should go back now, though.  People are starting to get drunk, and they’ll be out on the streets soon.”  

   I agree-- it is a college town, after all.  He takes my hand, which pleasantly surprises me, and leads me to his car. 

   He drives me to my residence hall.

   He escorts me to the door. 

   He kisses my cheek.

   “We’ll save the real kiss for later,” he whispers and opens the door for me.  I walk inside and continue up the stairs, afraid to turn around because he would see my cherry red face.  

   I’m sure he already knows what color it is.  I’m an open book, and around Baekhyun I’m a coloring book-- one he likes to color red.  

   I enter the room and I’m greeted by the cold glare of Hyerin.  

   “So you went on a date with Baekhyun?”  She asks, and I know I’m in deep trouble.  It’s ridiculous, right?  She’s not my mom.  But I did sign up for her matchmaking promotions and me going on a date with Baekhyun could classify as defamation of the Sweetheart Search...  

   “Yes, I did, and it was good, but we’re not dating,” I clarify.

   “Just wondering,” she coldly states.  I know she isn’t just wondering.  She has something up her sleeve.  I can feel it.  “You’re a Creative Writing major, correct?”

   “Yes...”

   “So you’re good with being creative, right?”

   “And writing,” I add.  

   “I was partnered up with someone yesterday and we really need help with our midterm assignment.  We have to create a 10 minute long YouTube video that details a fictional event that is particularly inspiring.”  

   “Aliens.  That’s a crowd pleaser.”

   “Do you think you could help us?  I’ll let you use my food money on one pina colada smoothie every other day,” she offers.  I was going to say no, but pina coladas are my weakness... (Except the actual ones.)  

   “Sure,” I tell her, and she smiles.

   “Do you promise?”

   “Scouts honor.”

   “Good.  Because my partner is Sehun, and I hope you don’t mind spending a lot of time together these next two weeks.”  

   Of course it’s Sehun.  I’m sure that this is one of Luhan’s tricky sails on this stupid ship of his.  

   “He was originally partnered with Luhan, but Luhan gave him to me because he figured Sehun needed your care and he would most likely get it being my partner.”  

   Oh, Luhan.  If only I could force the Sehun and Eunsang couple the way you force the Sehun and Eunji couple.