Recap Chapter 6: Xiumin and Chen tried to identify the girl. Their thoughts were confirmed when she answered her phone. The EXO members eavesdropped on her conversation with her brother. Chen suggested they should greet Dara.

Dara carefully observes Min Ho who seems a little bit uncomfortable still---despite the fact they’ve been talking (with dead air in between which is only normal) for more than half an hour. She believes it’s enough time to get used to each other; after all, they were classmates in kindergarten---which is too long ago.



She cautiously looks at his hands, particularly his nails. She has this habit of looking at a guy’s nails because she presumes that a guy’s fingernails say a lot about his hygiene.



To her relief, Min Ho’s nails are clean. She looks at his face and only notices then that he seems to be wearing---is that face cream? BB Cream? Unsure of her observation, she tries to focus on what he’s saying---something about him not really paying much attention to girl groups. Not that she’s offended; in fact, she’s thankful for his honesty. Since he’s a lawyer, maybe he’s really not into it. But he adds that he likes music.



Dara lets him talk while she takes a long sip of her drink. Maybe doing so will help make him comfortable. While he’s on the subject of how long he’s been working at the well-known law firm, he trails off, his eyes focusing on something behind her.



Curious at whatever or whoever catches his attention, still sipping from her drink, she turns around to see the two guys in black hoodies, their faces exposed and recognizable. They are looking straight at her that she almost choked---thankfully that doesn't happen for it'll be too embarrassing. She puts her drink on the table and stares wide-eyed at the two good-looking members of EXO; EXO-M in particular, who are walking towards the exit but will have to pass by her and Min Ho’s table.

It seems to take forever. She may have been magnetized by their good looks that when they are finally standing by her table, she can’t help but exclaim: “Omo!” as if she’d seen a ghost. “You’re here… th--then you must have…” she stutters and then completely at a loss for words, partly open. She’s beyond stunned and tries to recover. But how does one recover from not only being seen in this situation but also being on the receiving end of their charismatic gaze. She feels her heartbeat quicken.



While Dara tries to form a coherent excuse, her main concerns are as follows:



1.                They probably had an idea what she’s doing there. And they most likely saw her ‘awkwardness’ towards Min-Ho. What could they be thinking?



2.                Her ringtone. Will that give away that she’s a fan of theirs? She can’t do anything about it. Why does Gaeddong-ah have to call at a wrong time? Her conversation with her brother, they probably heard most of it. Aigo! She wants to pinch the bridge of her nose for the unfortunate event.

Chen and Xiumin, when near enough, bow at Dara. They are still surprised even though they already know it's her. It takes a while for her to stand and bow back. 



Actually, the two are not only surprised; they are captivated as well. They can see up-close Dara-sunbaenim’s flawless and smooth skin. She’s wearing very minimal make-up and a lip balm maybe, enough to put color on her lips. Her hair falls freely framing her small face, her ears concealed. She may have gone a little pale upon seeing them but still she looks beautiful.



“Annyeonghaseyo Dara-sunbaenim,” is Chen and Xiumin’s synchronized greeting accompanied by a nervous smile.

Dara looks at both of them but her gaze is more focused towards the oldest. For some unknown reason, she finds his smile charming. If only she knew what’s been going on inside Xiumin’s head, she’d no doubt change her mind about what kind of smile that is. 



On the other hand, it takes a lot of Xiumin’s self-control to not show how affected he is by her presence. He doesn’t understand how he can manage to smell her citrusy scent from where he is standing.



Dara grimaces, remembering her companion whom she forgot for a moment. She gestures toward Min Ho (who takes that as a cue to stand) and introduces him as her ‘friend’---which is an overstatement. There’s an exchange of greetings and then the two EXO members said they’d go ahead.

Dara sits, still undecided whether to run after them and bring up what she’s most concerned about. Taking a deep breath to gain some courage, she finally excuses herself from Min Ho and follows Chen and Xiumin. They are almost out the door, their hoodies already pulled in place to better conceal their faces. She cannot let them go without clearing something. She needs to be assured that they won’t tell anyone what they saw. After all, base on her observation of her surroundings, nobody seems to pay her and her companion some attention.



After making sure no one will overhear, “Xiumin-ssi, Chen-ssi, can I speak with you for a moment?” She is hesitant at first but becomes braver when she sees their warm smiles. Dara wrings her fingers due to nervousness and clasps her hands behind her. She honestly does not know how to begin her request.



Chen senses her worry and he breaks the silence. He assures her that they won’t tell anyone about her date. When he mentions the word 'date', Dara’s notion that they know why she’s there is confirmed. But she doesn’t mind. She’ll just have to trust them on their word---more like, trust Chen’s word. Xiumin is just quiet; he nods his head in agreement to what Chen said.



She lets out a relieved sigh, bringing her hands to her sides, the nervousness vanishing completely. And then she speaks in mock threat “I’ll hunt the both of you if you don’t keep your promise.” She looks at both of them in the eye, Chen first and then Xiumin. She commends herself mentally for being able to do it without blushing.



Chen laughs lightly, enjoying the banter. “Please trust us Dara-sunbaenim; we won’t tell anyone.”



Dara smiles, the corner of her eyes crinkling. “Aigo. Just call me Dara-noona, okay?” The two simply smiles, unable to formulate a reply.



And so, Dara, who’s thankful for their understanding, waves goodbye to her hoobaes after wishing them to be safe on their way home.



She returns to Min Ho and encourages him to continue talking. Once in a while, in the next thirty minutes, EXO is brought up. Apparently, Min Ho likes their songs. That’s another thing they have in common. She finds it odd but does not dwell on it any more.

Despite the mixed feelings, Xiumin is still able to give Chen a compliment while they wait for a cab. He commends him on his interaction with Dara-noona.

 

Chen handled the situation better because Xiumin simply stood like a mute. 

Without a doubt, his mind won’t be muted tonight.

The second Dara walks inside the house, she finds her mother at the living room, waiting excitedly to hear how the date went. At least she’s not reading that dangerous book again to Dara’s utter relief. She greets her mother with a peck on the cheek. “I don’t think he’s interested to have another meeting,” she discloses while she plops down on the couch, massaging her temples to relieve the pain. She might be hungry, thus the headache. Or she may have been thinking too much about Min Ho.



While on her way home, she recalled how he almost stutters when he said he had to check his schedule and that he’ll give her a call when they can meet again. That made her almost certain he’s not interested in her. Maybe she’s not his type at all and he’s too shy to admit for fear that it might offend her.



Frankly, she enjoyed his company--- especially when they’re on the subject of EXO and their awesome s