"No, uh .. You're pretty .. I guess," he stammered, and Soo Jung's serious expression softened a little. She was probably used to being told she was pretty, but if this was an act, she managed an innocent reaction.

She took the ceramic sugar syrup container in her hand, seeming relieved, and turned to Luhan to ask, "How pretty?" Looking at them from outside, they appeared to be the perfect couple.

But unfortunately, Luhan had a boyfriend who he was crazy about. If Soo Jung's business had something to do with love, then to stay a while would probably only invite confusion. As Luhan thought to himself, I'll head her off early, as if she had read his mind, she said to him, "You must have thing to do. I'll be quick."

She went on, " I know who you were from before. Like, from the time when everyone was talking about how you and Oh Sehun had paired rings, right? Or that Sehun was going out with your sister, or whatever was between the two of you — there's been all kinds of rumors. So .. I knew right away."

"You knew .. What?"

"Whose ring it was. A simple silver ring with a thin line with small diamonds in the middle."

"What?!" His heart started to pound and Luhan involuntarily leaned over the table. "Is it possible? Do you have my ring .. ?"

"Yes. I found it, in the hallway outside the locker room. I had been lying down in the nurse's office because of my anemia, and I was feeling better so I was on my way back to class. But since there are lots of rings that look like that, I thought I'd better check with the owner .. So, after school I went to your classroom."

"But .. aren't you a first-year? What were you doing on the second year floor?"

"I was taking a long way back. It's good way to waste time, you know?" Soo Jung replied innocently without hesitation, lightly shrugging her delicate shoulders. It was an angelic, mischievous gesture that he had often seen celebrities do on the TV. Maybe the reason it didn't annoy him was because he had rarely seen it in real life.

Now that they were going along at her pace, he had completely missed the chance to call her into question. "A-Anyway, thanks for finding my ring."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help you, Luhan-ssi. I thought you were pretty lucky that I found it."

"Why?"

"C'mon, don't pretend with me. Didn't I come to you before? Didn't you say I'm pretty?" Her long eyelashes trembled gracefully, casting a subtle shadow on her skin. With that, the image of a lively girl was gone, replaced by something vague and mysterious. It would have been quite a performance if she was deliberately using all of this to her advantage, in contrast with Sehun, who was more or less indifferent to his own good looks. Perhaps this was just the difference between guys and girls.

However charming a person was, he couldn't help but compare with Sehun, maybe because his heart was already taken by him. But Soo jung seemed to pick up on that. Suddenly her smile fell, and before Luhan could answer she said, "What's wrong with me?" and sighed. "I'm disappointed. Since I found your ring, I was sure there was some sort of connection between us .."

"Um, where is my ring, by the way? I've been looking for it all day."

"I told you, I have it. But this is awful. Have you been listening to what I'm saying?" Displeased, Soo Jung lightly patted the bag at her side with her palm. "Fine. If that's your attitude, maybe I just won't give your ring back."

"Y-You won't give it back? Hey, stop kidding around. I told you it was mine, didn't I?"

"You and Sehun have both been wearing them on your left ring fingers. So then, if someone finds out that you lost it, they'd be upset, wouldn't they? That's why you were looking around so frantically."

If you know that much, then why don't you just give it back?! The words flew into his throat but Luhan barel managed to swallow them. She was younger, and if he responded aggressively she was likely to get even more cross. He had been schooled in that tactic by his little sister, Lian. But since Soo Jung had not yet specified what it was that she wanted, it probably wouldn't help to keep talking.

"Well .. What do I have to do to get back my ring?" It bothered him how poorly that came out, but necessity knows no law. "I'll do whatever I can to accommodate your wishes but .."

"Then, will you go out with me?"

"Huh? Go out?! You and me?!" For a moment, Luhan couldn't believe his own ears. How the hell had this become the solution?! But he was more astonished that Soo Jung, who had just mentioned that there was someone else who would be upset, now sat with a sense of entitlement, primly smiling with her nose turned up.

"Luhan-ssi, you want your ring back, don't you? So why don't you go out wih me as a conditional exchange? Then I'll give it back to you. What do you say?"

She drove a hard bargain with that sweet voice. If he just listened to its sound, he would probably think he was simply hearing a pretty, selfish girl. But Luhan shook his head, pale-faced. He couldn't comprehend how she could ask him to go out with her, as if nothing happened, despite knowing that he had a partner. There were things that he would and wouldn't do for the ring. "Sorry, but I'm in love with someone else. So I can't go out with you."

"But don't you need the ring?"

"I don't think you'd like it if that was the reason I'd go out with you."

"You don't know without trying." Soo Jung idly stirred her straw, pouting her soft lips.

A long silence went on, and Luhan sank down, not knowing what to do. He had plenty of experience with girls asking him out, but Soo Jung wasn't like any of them. First of all, she wasn't behaving as he would expect towards a guy she liked. Even though she was pretty, she was acting like a princess, with a touch of defiance, too. Normally, when someone confessed their feelings, they had a more modest expression, but she seemed like she was about to pressure him.

Wait, she had pressured him .. he hurried to correct himself. If she would give the ring back if he said yes, that meant she wouldn't give it back if he refused. He was sure that Soo jung was fully aware of how irreplaceable the ring she had found was to Luhan. That meant she had a brilliant threat in her hands.

But if Sehun were to find out that I lost the ring .. that would . His Sehun, who was studying his heart out in order to win the bet with Luhan. But the essential thing was that Luhan had lost his precious ring. And now this girl was using that against him. If Sehun knew that, he had no idea what he would do, but he was pretty sure that he would hate him for it. And even if Sehun wasn't shocked and angry, no doubt he would be extremely disappointed. Luhan knew he didn't want to see that fallen expression on Sehun's face, and needless to say he didn't want to be the cause of it.

"So, Luhan-ssi. Why wouldn't you do it? Don't you want your ring back?" Soo Jung seemed irritated, like