"Ya sure ya only want this?" Eunji asked, handing Howon a can of orange juice.

When he had returned from the hospital, she had desperately begged him to let her repay the favor. Yes, she had to beg. Howon didn't usually allow people to pay back. In fact, he usually avoided any way for people to return the favor. However, Eunji was a different case. Her (unfortunate) heavy weight had nearly put him in the hospital for more than a week due to some health issue that he didn't really tell her about. It was only reasonable for her to do something for Howon in return for helping her out when she had fainted.

"Yep, this is fine," Howon said, smiling. His cheeks turned red, like the color of the roses behind him. "Sit, sit!"

He scooted over to the side and patted his hand against the empty bench. Eunji hesitated for a moment, but she took her seat anyway. She sighed and stretched her arms, rotating her neck while letting out a sleepy yawn. Despite the odd gestures she made, Howon gave her a charming look.

"What? Do ya want me to do anythin' else?" Eunji asked. She was a bit too eager, and sounded like she wanted to do more chores for him.

Howon bit his bottom lip and gently shook his head. "Naw, I'm good."

"Ya sure?"

"Positive to the sky."

Eunji paused, then looked at Howon. "Am I makin' you uncomfortable like this?"

Howon kept quiet. "A…A bit."

"Ya know that I ain't doin' all this because you're weaker than the normal kids, right? I'm doin' this because you helped me, and I want to return that favor," Eunji tried to explain. She knew that Howon got a little sensitive when he thought that people were looking down on him. That was why she didn't introduce him to any of her other friends. They would surely judge him, even if it was only a little judgment.

"I know, I know. I know that you're a good gal, Eunji," Howon said. He forced a smile. "Don't ya have to help them get ready for the day? Today's another busy day."

"Oh, right!" Eunji exclaimed. She shot up from her seat, but suddenly stumbled. She gasped and was about to fall on her bottom when someone grabbed ahold of her arm. Surprised, she looked up, her brown eyes glancing over her shoulder. "Daehyun!"

Daehyun scowled, roughly pulling her back on her feet. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much. I was just talkin' to Howon, and now I'm headin' back to work," Eunji said. She flinched when Daehyun flicked his fingers against her forehead. She groaned in pain, muttering a few inaudible words.

"Dialect, dialect!" Daehyun repeated. "You don't have to use your dialect so often. Just talk to this guy like how you do with other people."

"But I like my dialect!" Eunji said, defending her precious talent. "Howon's the only one in this school who can talk back in our dialect, too. It makes me feel nice inside."

She spotted Howon turning beet red. She frowned, a bit confused, but gasped in pain when Daehyun inflicted pain on her forehead again. She whined, whimpering while rubbing her sore forehead.

Glancing up, she recognized a familiar glare in Daehyun's precious orbs. She saw a look of disgust in Daehyun's eyes, but it wasn't like he was grossed out by her. It was more like…anger? No, not anger. He definitely was angry, but it wasn't anger that she saw in his eyes. It was more like—

"JUNG EUNJI! GRAB JIEUN!" someone from behind screamed. Eunji whirled around, and saw Jieun running straight towards her. Surprised and not sure what to do, she lunged forward, ready to stop Jieun with her entire body.

However, before she was able to touch her friend, she felt someone pull her away from the running figure. Eunji didn't have any time to protest because by the time someone pulled her away, another figure came in and tackled Jieun, driving her to the bush. She watched Jieun and Byunghun, who had caught her, tumble into the bush, disappearing from everyone's sight.

The girl who had screamed for Eunji ran up to her, then grabbed her by the wrist. It took Eunji seconds to recognize that this girl was the president of the cooking club.

"Come on, Eunji! Where have you been? It's time to get ready!" the girl exclaimed. She looked past Eunji's shoulder, then bowed. "Thank you for preventing Eunji from getting hurt! I saw exactly what happened. If she had tried to catch Jieun, she would've been thrown into the bush with the guy over there."

Eunji turned, seeing Daehyun still holding on the back of her blazer. He seemed calm, as if he didn't really care about saving her life. Behind him, Howon gave the two a twisted expression and looked towards the bush. This caused Eunji to look at the bush, too, and she took a step closer to Daehyun when she saw two heads poking out of the bush.

Byunghun spat out a leaf, while Jieun gasped for air. She seemed disappointed that she was caught, while Byunghun seemed annoyed. Dasom came into the scene, curiously watching the two standing in the tall bush. She looked to her side and smiled when she saw Eunji.

"Eunji! Are you off working?" Dasom asked excitedly. 

"Dasom, the school didn't even open yet," Eunji pointed out. "I'm just about to go back."

"Well, while you're going back, take Jieun with you. Oh, and if you see Taemin, have him talk to me! He owes me some money for catching Jieun," Byunghun exclaimed. He pulled Jieun's wrist, leading her out of the bush. He handed her wrist to Eunji, who kept a firm hold of her friend.

"Oh, so that's why you were running that fast! I saw you talking to Taemin, and then you suddenly started sprinting off somewhere," Dasom said. "I never would've thought that Taemin would ask you to fetch Jieun, though. Usually, Taemin's the one doing all that."

Byunghun sighed. "Well, he's busy. I mean, the fair is also going to end soon. He has to start planning to 'Blooming Hearts' event for tomorrow."

Eunji felt her heart skip a beat. The Blooming Hearts event! Why didn't she remember about it?

Not only did the students have time to look around other booths, but they also had the Blooming Hearts event in the afternoon. Every student would be handed a number that would match with someone else's. If the match was found, it meant potential love. If the match was found in an empty classroom, that meant high school love. But if the match was found at the school's rooftop by the time sunset turned to night, then it would mean eternal love. The only trouble with the system was that there were tons of students, and if the match was found to be incorrect, then it meant cursed love (the numbers could only be shown once for the love rumors to come true).

Last year, she had heard that a basketball player and the basketball team's manager had meant in an empty classroom (now that Eunji had time to think about it, she thought that the rumored ones were Jongdae and Sunyoung). She also remembered Dasom searching for her match, but she ended up failing and never found her match until she got to the last man, who was Myungsoo. Though by the time she had found Myungsoo, she was already victim of the "cursed love." As for Eunji, she had never shown her number to anyone. She was afraid of the curse coming true, even though several people said that it didn't come true.

"This year, I am aiming for a rooftop love," Dasom declared triumphantly.

"Same here! Hyunwoo and I want a rooftop love, too!" Jieun exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot.

More like it's only you who wants it, Eunji, Dasom, and Byunghun thought in unison.

"Well, while you guys are looking for rooftop love, I'm looking for someone to have cursed love," Byunghun said, thinking about Jongdae. He felt bad about having such a negative view on the team's captain, but he didn't let it bother him too much.

"What about you, Eunji?" Dasom asked. "What are you thinking of getting?"

Eunji bit her bottom lip. "Me? Nothing much. I was just planning on hiding my number again."

"Again? Why?" Dasom asked, clearly disappointed. "Even Junhee said that she's aiming for potential love."

"W-Well…Look at Taemin! He didn't show his to anyone, but he ended up with a girlfriend," Eunji pointed out.

"Dear, Taemin's a different case. He's gifted, okay? Us? We're not like him. We have to work ten times harder than what he puts in," Dasom said, gently patting Eunji's shoulder.

"I'd rather make my own future. I don't want something like this get in my way. I want to make my own choices and shape my own views," Eunji explained.

Dasom scoffed. "Fine, fine. Do what you want, but I won't be surprised if you date Howon or something."

Daehyun looked at her with wide eyes. "Wha—Howon?"

"Yeah, Howon. Don't you know that she's always with him?" Dasom questioned him.

"But he does nothing!" 

"That might be the case, but he has that dialect charm with him. A magazine that I'm subscribed to said that lately, people who live around this area are really into men with dialects," Dasom said. She looked at Howon and winked at him. "If you want to date me, just go ahead and ask! I'm free and available!"

Howon blushed. "N-No, I…already have someone else in mind."

"Ah, what a pity." She turned to Byunghun. "Come on, Byunghun! Let's go."

"Yes ma'am!" Byunghun saluted to the rest, then followed Dasom to wherever she wanted to go. Once the duo disappeared, Eunji turned around. 

"You have someone you like?" she asked Howon.

"W-Well, yeah, and I'm kind of h…hoping that she would share her n-number with…me?" His face was bright pink, and he couldn't look at her directly in the eye. 

How cute, Eunji thought, smirking. "I wish you the best tomorrow!"

She was about to leave until she felt her clothes choking her. She coughed, then turned around, seeing that Daehyun was still holding onto her blazer. She frowned a bit and tried to shake him off. However, he held a firm grip on her clothes, not letting her move at all.

"Can you let go?" Eunji asked, shooting Daehyun a small glare.

Daehyun blinked his eyes, then released her from his finger tips. She fixed her blazer, then waved the two a "goodbye." As she left the scene with the cooking club's president and Jieun, she managed to take a quick look behind her.

Something wrong, she thought, continuing to walk at a quick pace. Daehyun's upset…

"Making cake is boring. I want to go outside, into the real world!" Jieun exclaimed. She heaved a loud sigh as she decorated the freshly baked cake wither red frosting. "But no, I'm stuck in this timny little room with a few other students, baking cake like tomorrow doesn't exist."

"Don't be so negative, Jieun! Just imagine that Hyunwoo's coming into the other room and ordering your cake. How romantic would that be? 'Hopeless romantic fails to realize that her crush was secretly enjoying the cake she made with all her heart.'"

"Eunji, you and I are a completely different case. My love needs the visual. Yours?" Jieun stopped decorating for a second. "Do you even have someone you like?"

Eunji paused, then continued to lather the cake with white frosting. "I don't think I really have anyone."

"Really? I mean, this is high school. I know I'm a bit different from how high school people love, but I do know that people tend to have one or two crushes in high school," Jieun said.

"How are you a different case?" Eunji asked, laughing.

"Girl, Hyunwoo and I are practically engaged. There's no reason for me to love anyone else but him," Jieun pointed out, sticking out her tongue. "Oh, and after that layer of frosting, make sure you decorate the cake over there with the pink one."

"Got it," Eunji replied. She kept quiet for a moment, brushing the flat side of the knife against the thick layer of frosting. Then, she opened , but clamped it when she changed her mind.

Seeing this, Jieun continued to pursue their earlier conversation. "Are you sure you don't have a crush? Even a tiny one?"

"Yep, I'm sure. I mean, honestly, falling in love seems to be a hassle. I'm sure Junhee would agree with me," Eunji told her.

"Yeah, but then I heard that Junhee might like someone out of her comfort zone," Jieun gossiped. "Seems like he's cute, according to what Dasom told me." She stopped decorating and pushed the finished cake to the side. "Well, even though you don't have anyone you like, I'm pretty sure there's someone who likes you."

Eunji felt her cheeks grow hot. "Stop it, Jieun! You know that I can't handle these kinds of topics when it's about me!"

Jieun flashed her a cheeky grin. "Admit it! You want to know!"

"Shut up, I don't!" Eunji replied. She failed to get rid of her embarrassing smile. "Here, take this cake and decorate it, will ya?"

"Ah! I sensed a dialect leak!" Jieun teased. "I am so going to tell you who it is!"

Eunji felt her heart race. What was this feeling? Excitement? Passion? Happiness? Perhaps anxiety and fear?

"The guy I think who likes you is in your class. His name is—"

Before Jieun had the chance to say the man's name, something covered . There was a piece of bread stuck between her lips, blocking her from saying anything else. She frowned, clearly annoyed as she took out the bread from . She whirled around, angered to see Daehyun standing behind her.

Eunji, gasping, quickly stepped in front of Jieun so that her furious friend wouldn't jump and attack her secret friend. 

"Daehyun!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? You're not allowed to be in here. Only club members are supposed to come in."

Daehyun blinked his eyes, almost confused of his surroundings. It took him a few more seconds to realize what he had done and where he was. He looked around, noticing the odd stares that the other club members were giving him. Turning red, he looked down at his feet, scratching the back of his neck.

"Ah…H-Hey," Daehyun stammered nervously. He continued to look around, found a plate of cake, and grabbed it with a fork. "I-I came to give my compliments to the chef!" In broken English, he said: "Cake delicious! Yum!"

This garnered some of the girls' attentions to a more positive light. They giggled at his bad pronunciation, saying, "What was that Daehyun?" or "Are you even paying attention in English?"

Eunji, embarrassed for a friend, lowered her voice. "Why are you here?"

"I told you," he said. "I came to say my thanks to the chef. Great cake, by the way."

"I am the chef, and you are totally disrespecting me by shoving bread into my mouth!" Jieun exclaimed, gritting her teeth. She heaved a sigh. "Anyway, where was I? Oh, the guy's name! It's—"

Another slice of bread was stuffed into Jieun's mouth. She nearly choked, which caused her to glare at Daehyun. Daehyun bit his bottom lip, looking a bit sorry, but he never gave her a proper apology. She quickly spat out the bread, throwing it away in a nearby trash can.

"What is it with you?" Jieun said, raising her voice.

"Nothing!" Daehyun exclaimed.

"You're acting odd, Daehyun," Eunji said. "Fever?"

"No! Never a fever!" Daehyun told her.

"Geez! You see why I like Hyunwoo only? It's because guys like him exist!" Jieun snapped, growling at Daehyun's rude behavior.

In response, he held his hands up to his shoulders. "Hey, hey! As a duty of a good friend, I have to protect the guy's name at all cost."

Jieun widened her eyes. "You know about him? Then why don't you just say it?"

"Because it's embarrassing and it means nothing when the guy himself doesn't say it."

"What? Oh, come on! I constantly tell my crush that I love him all the time!"

"You and Hyunwoo are a different case. Hopeless, almost."

"Well, why don't you just tell her? You guys are in the same class, too. I'm sure nothing would change."

"You don't understand. If I tell her, everything will change."

"No, it won't. Look, it's not like it matters to you, too."

"Of course it matters! How would it not matter?"

"What? So it's best to just be friend-zoned?"

"What's wrong with being friend-zoned? I see nothing wrong with that."

Jieun stopped for a moment, adjusting all of his words into her head. She raised her eyebrows in suspicion, then crossed her arms.

"Are we talking about the same person?" Jieun asked slowly.

Daehyun seemed puzzled. "Aren't we?"

A smirk broke out on her lips. "Oh, I see. I see how it is."

He paled. "Did I…"

Eunji, who had been excluded from the entire conversation, finally managed to jump in. "What? What happened?"

Jieun let out a small laugh, which soon erupted into loud giggles. Daehyun's ears turned bright red, and he awkwardly stood still. When she finally calmed down, Jieun turned to Eunji and smirk.

"I won't tell you who likes you," Jieun said, "but I'll tell you that two guys like you."

Eunji let out an awkward laugh. "Oh, come on, Jieun. Stop joking around and get back to work." She looked at Daehyun. "You should get out, too. The chef thanks you for your compliment."

"Yes, I thank you a lot," Jieun responded.

Daehyun gave her a small glare. "I can see why you're annoying. You just got freakishly annoying."

"Get out, Daehyun!" Eunji shouted, causing him to flinch. He pouted, then dragged himself out of the room, eventually restoring the room to its original ways.

After he left, the work had gotten busier, and Eunji couldn't find the time to ask Jieun. She eventually forgot about the question, finding herself back into her own little world, excluded from the outside world that she had kept desiring to be in.

Author's Note: I deeply apologize for the insanely late update. School kept me busy, especially since my grades were slipping. I had to put that in my first priority before doing anything else. Anyway, I will definitely try to find the time to update ASAP! Again, sorry for the late update. [bows]