With a paint roller in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, Soo Jin glanced over her shoulder at her best friend Simon, who was bent over some paint cans. Ever since Seung Hae’s car accident, Simon helped Soo Jin with her various odd jobs whenever he could, even if it meant spending three hours in the hot sun on a Saturday repainting the windows of a neighbor’s home.

“Just these two left and we’re finished. I’ll buy you ice cream afterwards,” Soo Jin called to Simon.

“Nah, I’ve got something to do.”

“Ooooh, Simon’s got a hot date!” Teasing Simon about his non existent love life was one of Soo Jin’s most favourite things to do. Although the guy had an amazing personality and was drop dead gorgeous, it was like he had an allergy to girls. Whenever he was within three feet of a female who could potentially be interested in him, Simon’s words turned into stuttered, short sentences and he would begin to look everywhere but at the girl. He also wouldn’t be able to stop blinking, as if dust was permanently stuck in his eye. Having witnessed this many times before, Soo Jin thought Simon’s nervousness around girls was hilarious.

Simon cleared his throat. “Actually, y-yeah, I k-kinda do.”  

A girl had actually managed to break down Simon’s female self defense resilience wall? Soo Jin was shocked. She whirled around so quickly that her arm knocked the paint can that had been situated on the window sill. Within seconds, blue paint was splattered all over the grass and a pair of black and red Nike’s. Slowly, Soo Jin’s gaze travelled up from those shoes and met a pair of brown eyes.

Jisu.

Oh no. What in the world is he doing here?  He’s going to freak out. What am I going to do?

“I’m so sorr-” Soo Jin clambered down the ladder and started to apologize.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jisu laughed good naturedly. “I needed a new pair anyway.”

“Are you sure? I can’t believe I did that. I’m so, so sorry.” Incredibly, Jisu’s face wasn’t filled with anger or annoyance. Instead, there was a mixture of amusement and ease.

“Of course. It’s not a big deal.”

Still, Soo Jin wasn’t one to cause an inconvenience for others and just let it be. She had to fix this situation

somehow. “Let me make it up to you!”

Jisu grinned. “Actually, there is a way that you can.” Upon seeing Soo Jin’s eager nod, he continued. “Come to the mall with me.”

Soo Jin glanced back at the half finished window she had been painting. “I’ve still got two windows left to finish. Can I meet you in a few hours?”

“Sure. Call me when you’re done and we can meet up.” After they exchanged numbers, Jisu left and Soo Jin returned to her window painting. Without even realizing, Simon had crept up beside her and poked her ribs. Squealing, Soo Jin glared at her best friend.

“Why are you whistling?” Simon shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked up at her.

“I am?” Soo Jin blinked dazedly. “I didn’t even realize.”

“You only whistle when you’re excited or happy about something.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is... Is it because of that guy that just came by?”

Soo Jin shrugged. “I don’t know.” Within moments, she had climbed down the ladder and was staring into Simon’s eyes pleadingly. “Will  you do me a favour?”

Simon rolled his eyes and began to back away. “No, I will not finish these windows for you so that you can go home and get cleaned up to see him later.”

Soo Jin gasped. “How did you know what I was going to say?”

“I know everything about you.”

“Okay, true. Anyway, please? Pretty please? With a cherry and sprinkles plus chocolate syrup on top?” Soo Jin widened her eyes and stared at Simon pleadingly.

“No.”

As this continued back and forth, the two managed to finish both windows and clean up the materials they had used. Once everything was packed away into the neighbor’s shed and Soo Jin had received her payment, Simon started towards his car.

“Aren’t you coming?” he called back to Soo Jin.

“Huh?”

“I’ll give you a ride home so you can change.”

Soo Jin brightened. “Oh. Thanks!”

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From: Kyung Soo Jin

Msg: Hey! I’ve finished. What part of the mall did you want to meet at?

From: Park Jisu

Msg: How about the food court?

From: Kyung Soo Jin

Msg: Kay. See you in a bit.

Soo Jin nervously toyed with the hem of her shirt and shifted her bag on her shoulder as she walked towards the agreed meeting place. Why am I feeling nervous? It’s not like this is a date or anything. Looking up, she immediately spotted Jisu who was waiting by a large leafy plant. As soon as they made eye contact, Jisu flashed his eye smile and all the butterflies that had been flying around in her stomach disappeared.

“Can we grab a coffee first? I’m feeling a bit thirsty.” Soo Jin glanced at Jisu. This will give me something to do with my hands. When they reached the coffee shop, Soo Jin was relieved that Jisu didn’t insist on paying for her iced coffee. That would have made it feel too much like a date, when really, it wasn’t. As they headed to Jisu’s favourite shoe store, the two chatted about their hobbies and daily lives. Soo Jin was careful to stay away from the topic of Jisu’s illness. She knew it wasn’t something that he liked to share with others, evident from the way he had spoken about it with his uncle at the hospital previously. Upon arrival at the shoe store, Soo Jin’s eyes immediately caught sight of a particular pair of yellow Nikes. She lifted them off the display stand and turned towards Jisu. “How about these?”

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “I know it’s not manly for a guy to go crazy over a pair of shoes, but I think you just found my shoe soulmate. AND they’ve got Pikachu on them!” He took the Nikes from Soo Jin’s hands and immediately found an employee to ask for his size. Soo Jin smiled, pleased with herself. She had guessed from the Kirby that Jisu had given her that he was a fan of Pokemon and fortunately, she was correct. Shoe soulmate? He must really like them. Soo Jin giggled.

“I love them. They’re comfortable too!” Jisu grinned once he had tried the shoes on. “What do you think? Am I a y beast with these?”

Soo Jin laughed. “Yes, yes you are.” His smile was infectious. “I’m paying for half of them though.”

Jisu’s smile disappeared. “No, I don’t think so.”

“But I spilled paint all over your other pair!” Soo Jin protested.

“And if you hadn’t done so, I wouldn’t have met my shoe soulmate. So really, I should be thanking you.”

Even after they had left the store, Jisu was still chattering with excitement. Soo Jin couldn’t help but stare at him as he spoke. He’s so cute when he’s like this. So lively and animated. All of a sudden he turned towards her. Hastily, Soo Jin looked the other way so he wouldn’t notice that she had been gazing at him.

“I have an idea.”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s have a scavenger hunt!” Jisu looked at Soo Jin, eyes shining with anticipation. There probably wasn’t a soul that could have refused Park Jisu if he was looking at you like that. Soo Jin was no exception.

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It's been a year since I last updated this story. I am so, so, sorry. Even more sorry than Soo Jin is for spilling paint on Jisu's shoes. D:

Thank you to all my loyal subscribers who've stayed with the story. Summer's here so I promise I'll be updating more!

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