It’s date night! It’s a Saturday night and the couples agreed to eat at a local restaurant before going to the amusement park. Uee was not happy with their choice of restaurant ‘coz she think it’s not classy enough. She was overruled by three against one vote. They were ushered by a female attendant to a secluded spot of the restaurant. After they were seated, a waiter came to take their orders. Shin Hye was seated next to Yong Hwa while Uee sat next to Geun Suk.

The first few minutes were uncomfortable for the two pairs. No one seems to know what to say until Yong Hwa broke the silence with his comments about the weather. They talked about school and the upcoming concert of a K-pop group in their town. After a few minutes of casual chatter, the waiter returned to serve their food.

“I heard you’re going to perform at our acquaintance ball, is that right?” Yong Hwa addressed Shin Hye.

“Yes, I will. I was asked by our professor at the music department to sing three songs at the ball.” Shin Hye replied.

“That’s great. You have a very angelic voice. It’s so soothing that it calms me when I listen to you sing. I first heard you sing last year at our school anniversary festival. You sang ‘The Prayer’ with Geun Suk and I was immediately captivated by your voice.” he praised with a flirty smile while Shin Hye blushed.

‘Haist! This guy is a certified smooth-talker. They’re not even alone yet and he’s already flirting with her!’ Geun Suk thought snidely.

“Thank you.” Shin Hye replied bashfully. “You also performed that day, didn’t you? I listened to you sing and I was in awe of your voice. There was so much emotion in your song that I wanted to cry. The way you sang that song was so touching all the girls were reduced to tears. They screamed their heads off after your performance. It was really amazing.” she gushed, laughing softly.

‘Yeeesshh! When did this girl learn to flirt? I didn’t know she had it in her. Just you wait until I get you alone later. You’ll receive the most severe scolding of your life!’ Geun Suk whispered, turning his ire on Shin Hye.

“Thank you! We both sing so well maybe we could do a duet at the ball. What do you think? It’s a great idea, right?” Yong Hwa said, smiling widely at Shin Hye.

“Yes, that’s a great idea. I’ll suggest that to Professor Lee.”

“That’s great!” he enthused. “Hey, Shin Hye. This Kimchi is really tasty. You try it.” he said, feeding her a piece from his plate.

Geun Suk’s eyes widened as he watched Shin Hye took a bite from Yong Hwa’s chopsticks. ‘This shameless ! Did he forget that this is their first date and that they have company? And Shin Hye, what are you thinking taking a bite from Yong Hwa’s utensils?’ he snarled silently, kicking Yong Hwa on the leg.

“Aaargh! Why did you kick me?” Yong Hwa exclaimed, looking at Geun Suk.

“Sorry. I got cramps on my leg.” Geun Suk said without remorse, grimacing for effect.

Shin Hye looked at him suspiciously for a moment before turning back to Yong Hwa.

“Are you alright? Where does it hurt?” she asked Yong Hwa.

“Don’t worry, I’m okay. The blow was not that hard. I was more surprised than hurt.” Yong Hwa said, touching her hand in comfort.

Geun Suk looked angrily at Yong Hwa’s hand touching Shin Hye. ‘Next time I’m going to kick you harder, you ert!’

“Hey, Geun Suk! Are you sick? You look feverish. Your face is very red.” Uee observed.

“It must be this Tteobokki that I ate. It’s very spicy.”

“Are you sure? Your face was not that flushed when you first took a bite of that dish.” Uee insisted.

“Yes, I’m sure. It must be a delayed reaction to the food. Don’t mind me. I’m great. Just great!” he replied sarcasm thick in his voice.

“Well… if you say so.” Uee shrugged.

“If you’re done eating, I’ll call the waiter for the bill.” Geun Suk waited for their consent.

“Okay, let’s go!” he said after paying the bill.

The two couples went to the amusement park which was only a few minutes ride from the restaurant. The men paid for their entrance while the girls went to the restroom.

Geun Suk was deep in thought, thinking about his reaction to seeing Shin Hye and Yong Hwa flirt. ‘I must be anxious about my date with Uee that I kept thinking crazy things about Shin Hye and her date.” he silently convinced himself. ‘Everything will be back to normal, now that we got over the first few minutes of getting to know each other and inane chitchat.”

“Geun Suk!” Yong Hwa called from behind him.

“Yes?”

 “We need to talk about Uee. If you really want to win Uee’s affection, don’t be nice to her.”

“Huh? That’s crazy! Are you trying to get me in trouble?” Geun Suk asked.

“Of course not! I’m here to help you.”

“Will being rude to Uee help my case?” he asked doubtfully.

“Yes, it will. Uee is so used to men complimenting and up to her that she finds them boring and insincere. If you will be less pleasant to her she’ll be intrigued by you so much she’ll be the one chasing you. Think about it. I’m being honest with you. Good luck man!” Yong Hwa said, slapping his shoulder.

A few minutes later, the girls returned, with Uee carrying a huge plastic cup of smoothies. She was sipping it so fast, they were afraid she might choke on it.

“Uee, aren’t you full yet? You already ate a lot at the restaurant and now you’re almost done drinking that smoothie. You might throw up when you get on the rides.” Geun Suk said to Uee.

“Don’t worry about me. I can handle my stomach. I’ve never thrown up on the rides before. Just ask Yong Hwa if you don’t believe me.” Uee replied.

“Okay, if you say so.”

“Come on! Let’s go ride the bumper car! Those rides are so much fun!” Uee invited, grabbing Geun Suk’s hand and pulling him towards the ride.

Yong Hwan ad Shin Hye followed slowly behind them. Geun Suk and Uee stepped inside the car first. He saw Yong Hwa hold Shin Hye’s hand as he helped her get inside the car. His mood turned sour again. Then the operator whistled signaling the ride to start.

Geun Suk held on to the wheel and drove crazily fast inside the rink, bumping the car to the others. Uee shouted with glee beside him, raising her arms up in the air.

“Woo hoo! Yes! Faster, Geun Suk, faster! Come on! Ram the car to that guy!” Uee shouted, pointing towards another car.

Geun Suk did as he was told and drove the car faster bumping it to the other rides. He was starting to have fun bumping his car to the others that he started to laugh himself.

Their car was rammed roughly from behind jerking them forward against their seatbelt. They looked behind them and saw Yong Hwa and Shin Hye laughing at them. They waved at them before driving away and bumping into other cars. Geun Suk heard Uee make a gagging noise beside him. He looked at her and saw her covering with one hand and holding her stomach with the other.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you?” he asked panicking. “Are you going to throw up? Don’t do that! You have to hold it in! We’re about to stop anyway!”

But it was too late for the warning. With one last gagging noise, Uee threw up on Geun Suk’s face and shirt.

“Oooppss! Sorry! I couldn’t hold it in anymore.” she apologized, smiling bashfully.

Geun Suk was so disgusted he wanted to throw up, too. He was about to give Uee a dressing down when the car suddenly stopped. Uee hurriedly unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car, running after Yong Hwa and Shin Hye.

“What happened to you? Did you throw up?” Shin Hye asked him, covering to hide her smile.

Geun Suk saw the three of them try hard not to laugh at him, their eyes sparkling with laughter. He turned his deadly stare to Uee, pointing who the culprit was. He was so mad he was unable to speak for a few minutes.

 “May I borrow your jacket, Yong Hwa?” he asked in a strangled tone.

“No.” Yong Hwa refused. At the look of disbelief on Geun Suk’s face, he said “I’ll feel cold if I’ll take it off.”

Geun Suk saw Shin Hye throw him a sympathetic look before Yong Hwa dragged her away. Uee followed them leaving him behind without a word. Geun Suk stomped to the opposite direction, seething in anger. He stopped in front of a stall with t-shirts hanging on the walls.

“How much is one t-shirt?” he asked the man inside the stall.

“They’re not for sale. You have to hit one of the pins with those balls before you win a shirt. The pins have numbers that will match one of the shirts. You have to hit it first before I’ll give you a shirt, got it?” the man replied, smirking at him.

He took out his wallet and got some paper bills, throwing them at the man.

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

Uee, Shin Hye and Yong Hwa are standing in front of the entrance to the carousel when Geun Suk finally joined them. He saw Shin Hye carrying a big white stuffed puppy with big floppy ears, wearing Yong Hwa’s jacket. He shot an accusing stare at Yong Hwa. ‘Yeesh! This guy is trying to provoke me.’ he thought angrily.

When they took a good look at his attire, the three of them laughed uproariously at him.

“What is that you’re wearing Geun Suk?” Uee asked, laughing while pointing at his shirt.

He was wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt that hugged his body like second skin and the edge reached slightly below his lowest rib, exposing his stomach. It has a picture of two cute little kittens with wide eyes biting a rose. To aggravate the situation the t-shirt is an ugly bright orange color which did not compliment his skin.

“Don’t start on me. The guy at the stall has a very twisted sense of humor. I bet he changed the number of the shirt to match the one on the pin.” he growled at them.

“Come on, let’s ride the carousel. It will be fun.”

They joined the throng of people entering the gate of the carousel ride. Shin Hye and Yong Hwa was seated two horses in front of them. Geun Suk did not even glance at Uee, he was still mad at her for throwing up on him.

Geun Suk was staring at Yong Hwa and Shin Hye the whole ride. He watched them laugh as Yong Hwa cracked a joke. Every time Yong Hwa reached out to touch Shin Hye on the hand or tucked her hair behind her ears he wanted to jump down from his horse and rip off Yong Hwa’s hands.

‘Yeesh! Did you forget that you’re on a public place, huh? ert!’ he silently hissed at Yong Hwa.

‘Haist! Why am I behaving like this? Why am I acting like a jealous boyfriend? Uee’s my date and she’s the one I like, not Shin Hye. Wake up Geun Suk! Keep your focus!’ he ranted at himself.

‘Ggrrr…. this is all Uee’s fault! She poisoned me with her puke!’ he growled, staring daggers at Uee. ‘Hey, stop blaming her. Focus on your date and make the most out of it.’

After they stepped out of the carousel ride, Yong Hwa suggested they ride the Tunnel of Love. Before he could protest the choice of ride, Yong Hwa already pulled Shin Hye towards the entrance of the ride. He had no choice but to follow them.

“I’m sorry for throwing up on you.” Uee apologized once they were seated on the small boat.

“Forget it. Just restrain yourself from throwing up again.” he replied.

“Don’t worry, I don’t feel like throwing up again. This ride is so gentle it can lull me to sleep.”

After a few minutes of silence Uee suddenly asked “What do you think of my hair? I had it relaxed yesterday when I went to the salon.”

Geun Suk recalled Yong Hwa’s advice to be less pleasant to Uee to win her affection. He had no difficulty following his advice ‘coz he was still slightly mad at her for throwing up on him. So he was being sincere when he criticized her.

“It’s okay I guess. I think it looks the same as before.” he replied.

“It does not! It’s straighter and shinier. I spent hours on the salon to make it look great.” she protested.

“Well, it doesn’t look any different. In fact, if you look at it closely you’ll see that your hair is looking frizzy and showing signs of damages. And look at that spot behind your ear, I think you’re starting to go bald. Maybe it’s the chemicals that you use. You should rethink about going to the salon often.” he said in a horror-struck voice, eyes widening slightly.

“That’s not true! I’m not bald!” she said loudly, touching the spot he pointed out.

‘This guy’s crazy! I bet he just said that to irritate me.’ she thought mutinously

“Well what about my nails? I had it polished and painted as well.” she said not giving up in making him compliment her looks, showing off her finger nails and toe nails.

“The color does not suit you. It clashes against the color of your dress making your hands look dull and lifeless. And as for your feet, I think you should wear closed shoes or better yet, boots. You need to hide those big feet of yours.” he said maliciously.

“What?!” she screeched. “I do not have big feet!”

‘Huh! Why is he suddenly criticizing me? Don’t tell me that he’s already immune to my charms? This can’t be good. No man has ever shown disinterest at me nor did they ever criticize me.’ she thought, peeved.

“Hey, Geun Suk! Don’t tell me you’re no longer attracted to me after all the effort you took just to date me?” she asked unbelievingly.

“Now that you mention it, I think you’re right on the mark. I think you’re very superficial and it’s not hard to lose interest in your charms.” he said, provoking her ire.

“You’re going to regret saying that to me. No one has ever resisted my charms and you won’t be the first.” she snarled at him.

“Wanna bet?”

‘I’m going to make you fall for me again Geun Suk! No one ditches me first. I always do the ditching.’ she swore silently.

Geun Suk stepped out of the boat when it stopped in front of the exit gate. He did not assist Uee nor glanced at her. He exited the building and went after Shin Hye and Yong Hwa who was walking a few yards from him. He stopped on his tracks when he felt someone latch on his arm and pull him back.

His eyes widened when Uee suddenly grabbed his neck pulling him down and kissing him hard on the lips. Just as Uee’s lips touched his, Shin Hye looked back and saw them kiss. He did not see the pain in her eyes as she watched them. She stood there paralyzed, unable to take her eyes away from them.

Geun Suk was so shocked by Uee’s action, he was unable to think or move for a few seconds. When he became aware of what Uee was doing, he was unable to move away from her.

‘Why am I not affected by her kiss? There’s no spark at all. This is not like what I have imagined.’ Geun Suk thought.

Uee drew back and looked at him. He had this confused and bewildered expression on his face.

‘This is not right! I didn’t feel anything with that kiss. Maybe ‘coz I was caught by surprise. I should try again and maybe this time there will be sparks.’ he thought, pulling Uee and kissing her again.

Shin Hye was very devastated when she saw Geun Suk in another woman’s arms. She felt as if something heavy is squeezing her chest and a million shards of broken glass are piercing her heart. She turned away from the sight, grabbing Yong Hwa and briskly walking away.

After a few seconds, Geun Suk pushed Uee roughly from his embrace.

‘Aisshh! There’s no spark at all! I felt nothing with that kiss. Does it mean I’m not really in love with her? What a wasted time!’ he thought angrily, walking away without even a glance at Uee.

‘Ha! I got you now Geun Suk! Let’s see you resist that kiss! See? You’re walking in a daze already.” Uee thought with raised eyebrows, misinterpreting Geun Suk’s absentmindedness.