Oh shut up, Woo Bin! I’m pretty sure today’s group date will be just fine. There’s nothing wrong with doing a favour for Min Hee, right?

Yah, doing a favour for a girl doesn’t always mean that I like her. Stop telling the others that I have a crush on Min Hee, you dinosaur! That was last year’s story…

Yah! I’ve seen the girls Min Hee brought with her! You won’t believe how pretty they all are! Even with light make up, their skin look so nice! Hehehehe~ You must feel sorry for not coming with me, right~?

Oh please, you say that you don’t care now, but don’t get jealous when I show you my new girlfriend~ I’m aiming for the girl sitting across from me. She looks really nice, and she has really round eyes. She’d even let me text you when she caught me with my phone. Such a sporting girl, she’s totally my style!

We’ve all gone our own ways now, and I’m with the round-eyes girl. Her name is Yoo Se Ra~ Such a pretty name for a pretty girl~ Heheheheheheehe~

Kekekekekee~ I understand~ I’ll stop showing off~

Kim Woo Bin, I take back everything that I said about this girl. She is too clingy, too noisy and just plain annoying. She is not even nice. She just made fun of a kid who had lots of pimples on his face.

Yah! Help me! Her laugh sounds so evil to me now! I don’t think I can text you anymore at this rate!

I was so blind. BLIND. How could I not notice the ugly interior under that beautiful make up of hers? I’m so dumb. I’m sweating, my hands are getting clammy and I don’t like it!

 Woo Bin-ah! Save me from this girl! She won’t let go of my hand no matter what I do!

Mayday mayday! Save me!!!!!!!!!!!

I read the messages that Jong Suk had sent to me an hour ago. Then, I re-read it, and again until I could practically hear his wailing voice calling for my help through the messages.

If it were another day, I would’ve just laughed back at him. Mocked him for getting tricked by a girl’s looks so easily, yet again. Told the other boys about it and poked fun at him together. However, in a situation such as this, that was faced by our can’t-say-no-to-pretty-girls Lee Jong Suk, … it was getting serious.

I sighed. “But how the heck am I supposed to find you when I can’t even reach you, you idiot?!”

Ever since I had arrived at the park half an hour ago, I had been walking around and practically searched for that lanky, milky-white skinned Lee Jong Suk but he was NOWHERE TO BE FOUND…!

I searched the recreational area, where there were jogging tracks, badminton courts, soccer fields, playgrounds and plenty of benches where people sit to take a break from walking around, and there was no sign of him.

I searched the lake area, where people were mostly feeding the ducks and other birds near the clearing, but he was not there either.

Now, I was standing at the heart of the grassy area, where there was a huge clearing that people could just sit down for picnics by the water fountains and I STILL could not spot him!

I stared down at my phone. “Stupid phone can’t get a signal to call,” I gritted through my teeth. “Ahhh I don’t care anymore!” I ruffled my hair in frustration.

“Whoa! Calm down, man!” a voice suddenly said to me on my left.

I turned to it and found a girl looking at me with a look that says, ‘You’ve gotta chill, dude.’ She had a guitar in her hand, a backpack and the guitar case set down on the ground before her feet. I bowed to her in silent apology.

She waved it off. “I was going to start playing something on my guitar, will that be okay with you?”

I grunted and nodded at her.

Her face lit up with a smile as she adjusted her guitar in her hold. Then she sang.

I could not keep my eyes off of her. Her speaking voice had a bit of an alto quality, slightly lower than the usual girl’s tone. When she sang, she went from alto to mezzo to soprano like it was nothing. It was natural, and had more than enough groove to make her singing melodic and lullaby-ish to the ears. She was singing Juniel’s Illa Illa in her own rendition. I loved it, jealous of it. I just stared at her intently till she ended the song.

She let out a slow sigh. Her eyes darted to mine and started to narrow into slits. “Were you just watching me the whole time?”

“N-No!” I lied.

Her eyes searched my gaze, looking for the truth. All of a sudden, her almost-hostile eyes changed to something gentler, filled with wonder. “Hey… Now that I’m looking at you more closely, you have really wide lips!”

I could feel my cheeks burn. People have complimented me on my looks, yes, but no one had ever said anything like that before. Not to my face. It was bizarre.

She must have noticed that she had said something bizarre too, since her cheeks started to redden. Flustered, she said, “I-I mean that your lips are pretty– No, your facial features are pretty– I mean, HANDSOME! Yes, I’m so jealous that you’re handsome!” it was an even more awkward answer that she could only face-palm herself.

I could not help but laugh at her adorable actions. “Erm… No one’s ever told me that I have pretty lips, but thanks for the compliment, I guess.”

She cautiously lowered her palm, her brown eyes carefully checking my gaze. After she was ensured that I was okay with it, she grinned. “Sorry, I’m not usually that straightforward. Seriously though, you are handsome. I can’t deny that.”

For some reason, my heart fluttered at that. “Thanks… I think you’re pretty too.”

One of her eyebrows went up – that was the first time I’ve ever seen a girl do! – as she said, with a hint of sarcasm, “Sure, I am. Pretty as that rock at the bottom of this fountain.”

I gave her a look. “Seriously? You want to be compared to a rock?”

She stuck her tongue out. “Fine! I’d rather be that tree over there, then!”

“No! You’ve got it all wrong!” I sighed. I inhaled, “What I was trying to say was that… You are pretty too, in your own way.”

“Sure,” she said, rolling her eyes at me.

I breathed out my frustration. “Wait,” I sat closer to her on the fountain, “let me look at you closer, then.”

“Oh, bring it on!” she challenged me, putting down her guitar and looking at me straight in the eyes.

“Hmm…” I started to study her facial features, “Okay, your skin is fair and flawless!”

Her lips curved into a mischievous grin. “How’d you know it’s not make-up?”

I gave her a straight answer. “I have a friend who taught me on how to look out for girls with thick make-up. Looking at you…” I paused, confirmed my observations and said, “the most you’d have put on is probably some compact powder and l