Jung Hyun volunteered to wash the dishes because she hated the sight of Gyu Won in the dining room. Gyu Won, however, could not stay long because she and Shin had a date after dinner.

*****

Both of them walked around Seoul, enjoying the merry sights and the colorful displays. They even ate ice cream, just to cool their tongue from eating some spicy dishes that she cooked for their dinner.

Later, they loitered at the park where they saw Bo Woon and Joon Hee some weeks ago.

"Shin-ah, are you going to school?" she . "What's with the bag?"

Shin tapped the strap of his backpack and smiled at her. "I have a gift for you."

Both of them sat down on the grass and he took off the backpack from his back. She looked curiously at the gift which he pulled out from the bag.

"Are you giving me a pair of skinny jeans?" she asked.

"Mwo?" he asked with a laugh. "Why would I do that?"

She frowned. "Because you said I look hot when I wear jeans, so I was thinking you'd give me one."

He pinched her cheeks and replied. "I want my girlfriend to look beautiful, and not just hot."

"You think I'm hot?" Gyu Won asked.

"Ne. Everytime we call each other at bedtime, your voice turns me on," he said.

She gently and playfully slapped him on the face and said. "You're too , you know."

He smiled at her again and gave her the gift. The gift looked as small as a dictionary.

"A pair of skinny jeans doesn't fit in this," Gyu Won said.

Shin rolled his eyes and pinched her cheeks again. "And you really wish I'd give you one?"

She frowned with a cute smile and slapped him on his arm again.

"Aya! You!" Shin exclaimed as he faked anger.

"Mian, mian," Gyu Won said with a smile.

When she opened the wrapper, she retrieved a bronze-looking box.

"This looks like a makeup kit!"

"Open it," Shin said.

What seemed like a makeup kit was actually a music box.

"Shin-ah....." she gaped. "Yeppeuda...."

"You like it?" he asked.

She smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him on his cheeks.

"Gomapda...."

He touched his cheeks and smiled at her. "You have no gift for me?"

She pouted. "You little twerp, you think I'd forget?"

She was also bringing along her sling bag, and of course, Shin thought it was not unusual, as she was always leaving home with a bag. Girl matters.

"It is here," she said as she delved into her bag. 

She got a box, with almost the same size as the box he got for her.

"Don't tell me you are giving me a new jacket," Shin .

"And a jacket will really fit in this little box!" she shot back as she handed him the box.

He opened the box and saw a black wrist watch inside it.

"Wow, this is awesome!" he remarked. "I could replace my broken watch with this."

He admitted that he was thinking of purchasing a new watch, and he was more than thrilled that her gift was actually what he was intending to buy.

"And the design, the brand--this is exactly what I am looking for!"

Gyu Won smiled at him as she watched him try on the watch.

"You look good in it, Shin-ah," she said.

He thanked her, and told her to listen to the music box. To her surprise, it was CN Blue's "Love Rides Like The Rain."

"Do you want to dance with me again?" he offered softly.

She looked at him in the eyes and nodded. "Only with you, Shin-ah..."

Both stood up went to a nearby acacia tree, so that no crowd will get curious. The moon was shining brightly, and the stars were twinkling gorgeously, that Gyu Won had to sigh not being able to see them if they dance.

"We can get under the heavenly bodies and not get caught by the people," Shin suggested.

They moved a bit far from the tree so that she could have a view of the moon and the stars.

"You can keep the box, I'll just sing to you," he offered.

She slowly pushed her body towards him, and she could feel his chest beating against hers. Was he palpitating in happiness? With that realization, she hugged him tight and smelled his great perfume. Ah... the smell of heaven on earth....

"Do you know that CN Blue has another version of 'Love Rides Like The Rain' in Japanese?" he asked. 

"Mollayo," she replied, still hugging him. "Is it still the same song?"

"Same tune, but with a different title," he explained.

"Is there such a thing as that?" she mused.

"Ne. The title is 'Eclipse'," he explained.

She closed her eyes when he began singing, and she let his husky voice put her into a trance.They began to slowly dance round and round as he sang.

It’s hard to say my mind
kimi no koe wo tashikametai
Can you tell me your height
todokazu ni shizumu tame iki
If you searching for the shine
sono te wo hanasanai
kitto meguriau
dreaming of you
haruka na tabi he
 
ano hi no yakusoku wa
eien no michishirube
samayou jikan itsuka kitto aeru
sono hi ga kurumade wa
kimi no kage de neburu
I don’t know but I believe that
coming true the day we both know
 
It’s hard to say your mind
kagayaku mabushii yokogao
I can tell you my own
kimi ga yurue kurerunara
If you searching for the shadow
kono te wo nobashi (kono te wo nobashi)
kitto meguriau
dreaming of you 
boku de ii nara
 
I don’t wanna see you feeling blue
I don’t wanna see your light is gone
towa naru jikan itsuka kitto aeru
sono hi ga kurumade wa kimi wo mimamoritai
I don’t know but I believe that
We can be the one we both know
 
If you searching for the shadow (If you searching for the shadow)
kono te wo nobashi (risen ankle on my hand)
kitto meguriau
dreaming of you
boku de ii nara
 
I don’t wanna see you feeling blue
I don’t wanna see your light is gone
towa naru jikan itsuka kitto aeru
sono hi ga kurumade wa kimi wo mimamoritai
I don’t know but I believe that I’ll going you
 
I don’t wanna see you feeling blue
I don’t wanna see your light is gone
towa naru jikan itsuka kitto aeru
sono hi ga kurumade wa kimi wo mimamoritai
I don’t know but i believe that I’ll going you
For be the one

****

After the song, they settled under the tree as they watched the stars being obliterated by the fire flowers on the sky. He was behind her and put his arms around her.

"So beautiful," she said as she looked at the firecrackers.

"Ne, it is," he said as he looked at her.

He ran his fingers throug her hair and swept her hair to the side of her neck. He felt shivers down his spine as he looked at her white nape.

"So beautiful indeed," he said again.

"I agree," she said. "I wish Halabeoji will buy more firecrackers so that we could have fun with it this coming New Year."

Shin smiled, knowing that he and she had different thoughts when they were saying what was beautiful.

"I have another gift for you," Shin admitted.

"Ne? What is it?" she excitedly asked as she turned to look at him.

He pulled out something from his pocket and retrieved a necklace.

"Don't worry, this is not the necklace that I had you find for me," he said.

The necklace was made of pink gold, and it was more beautiful than the one he once gave to Yoon Su. She sat in attention as he wore the necklace around her neck.

"This is beautiful, Shin-ah," she remarked.

She looked at the pendant, and it was in the shape of a tiara.

"You will always be my princess, that is why I chose a tiara," he explained.

She smiled at him, then looked at the pendant. So pretty....

And Shin leaned and kissed her hair. He let his lips linger, as he also took time to enjoy the scent of her shampoo. She let out a smile as she felt him tighten his hug.

"Shin-ah, I can't breathe," she whispered playfully.

He loosen his grip and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"If you feel sleepy, we can just go home," he offered.

"Ani. Just let me rest on your lap," she said.

He allowed her to lie down on his lap, while she allowed him to her hair. Both of them silently watched the firecrackers in the night sky as they enjoyed time being together.

**************

And true enough, Gyu Won fell asleep in his lap, and he had to take her home. Instead of doing the usual piggyback, he carried her princess-style all the way to the bus stop. When he got in the bus, the people stared at the cuteness of them, and all of them suddenly felt that their noses were slowly bleeding. Shin looked at them strangely as he found a seat at the back.

"You couple look so cute!" one old lady commented.

Shin smiled shyly and bowed at the halmeoni. Then, at his window, he began to see ants forming a queue and stopping in front of him. The ants began to play with firecrackers, and of course, the ants were just a figment of Shin's imagination because he knew that their sweetness was more than enough for ants to gather around.

******

He began to walk home while carrying his girlfriend lovingly on his arms. When he reached her house, he knocked with great difficulty, and to his relief, Sun Ki opened the door.

"Oh, Shin-ah," he said. "My little daughter is finally asleep."

"Ne," Shin replied politely.

Sun Ki was more accomodating than Halabeoji, so he allowed the young man to come in and place Gyu Won to bed. When Daddy dear was sure that his daughter was in place, he tapped the young man by the shoulder and thanked him again.

"Please take care of my daughter," Sun Ki said.

Shin nodded and bowed.

"I'll be off now," the young man replied before leaving.