CHAPTER 5:  

A/N BIG CHAPTER AHEAD!

As soon as the professor dismissed the class Mina literally flew out of the classroom. She couldn’t stop her shelf from smiling and thinking about that Mark Tuan guy. Did her spring finally come? She didn’t know. All she knew was his name, major, age and nothing more. She didn’t care though what she had was enough.

While she was walking in the corridor that lead to the exit Jihye gave her a call.

“God morning to you my beautiful and smart best friend” She heard Jihye shouting from the side.

Mina winced from Jihye’s loud voice first thing in the morning. She took a deep breath ready to reply but her friend beat her to it.

“Okay, maybe someone didn’t have a nice morning. Would you like to explain to your best friend what is going on?” Jihye’s now calm and concerned voice made Mina feel guilty for not replying previously.

“Do you have to even ask?” Mina joked a bit. “But I can’t tell you via the phone so why not go for coffee in our usual place?” Mina offered kindly through the phone to Jihye.

“Did you just remember the Magic Coffee place? Because if you did, then something bad happened, something really bad.” Jihye was pretty concerned by now, that Mina could tell.

“Where are you” She heard her friend asking from the other side.

“I’m almost outside of the university” Mina said while crossing the big yard their university had. Like who needed all this grass?

“Perfect. Wait for me in that bench near the fountain.” Mina heard Jihye say while hanging up the phone.

She on the other hand browsed the internet while waiting for her friend to come. Again she couldn’t concentrate on anything. Her mind was always replaying the scene from this morning. His flawless skin, his muscular hands, his voice, his relieved smile, his…

“What are you smiling at” Jihye’s loud voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Mina was taken by surprise and didn’t know what to answer. Eventually she got her shelf together and cleared before speaking.

“Um… nothing. I’m thinking about nothing.” She reassured her friend with a smile.

“Okay you will spill the beans anyway so I don’t bother. As for now let’s go to the Magic Coffee.” Jihye said happily.

They both started walking and talking about nothing serious just small talk.

After several minutes they arrived at the coffee. They went inside and sat in one of the table that was near the window. They gave their order to the waiter and didn’t say anything until the coffee came.

“Ok missy spill the beans now. Why were you smiling when you were sitting on that bench? Actually you weren’t only smiling you were glowing so what’s wrong? Did my little Mina finally found her prince charming in university? Jihye nonstop. Mina’s cheeks became redder and redder since Jihye started talking.

“It’s nothing much.” She started saying with a small voice. “I woke up late for the first time today and when I stepped inside the university I guy fell on top of me.” Mina was literally like a tomato by now and Jihye was squealing like a crazy girl.

“And?” Jihye couldn’t help but ask her friend to continue. A flushed Mina was the cutest thing that she had ever seen.

“Well we both fell down and our faces were so close that I thought we were going to kiss. And he had the most alluring eyes and his lips were to die for and then he stood up all panicked and he offered his hands and got me up.” Jihye was squealing together with Mina and as a result a couple of customers turned around and looked at them. But they brushed them off because Mina’s love life was a lot more interesting than those people.

“We walked together inside the university and I got his name and major and age. Well he is named Mark Tuan and he is majoring in Math.” Mina finally finished talking about that hot freshman, with the biggest smile Jihye had ever seen in Mina. By now she was so red that if someone saw her he would think that she had fever.

Jihye couldn’t stop her shelf from teasing her.

“It seems like our little Mimi found her love of her life.”

“I did not.” Mina protested. “And don’t call me Mimi we are not in middle school” She said coldly.

“Okay I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I won’t tease you anymore.”  Jihye said with a not so apologetically expression in her face.
Jihye was looking outside of the coffee shop with a trouble look in her face. A couple a minutes passed and she eventually spoke.

“To tell you the truth.” She started. “His name reminds me of someone, but I can’t pin point who.” Jihye was thinking hard while Mina was day dreaming for the nth time today. Jihye shrugged her shoulders and turn her attention to her coffee.

A few minutes passed in quietness that got disturbed by a scream full of joy that got Mina’s attention.
“I remembered now.” Jihye said with a big smile. “He is a friend of Jackson’s or something like that; they greeted each other today in those stupid extra classes.” Jihye let out a triumph huff. Well no one can escape from Jihye.

“So Mark is in your class?” Mina asked innocently.

“If he was there today then yes he is in my class and on top of that he knows Jackson. OMO, OMO, OMO” Jihye was bouncing excitedly up and down in her sit. “Imagine the four of us going on double dates. It will be so cute” A squeal left .

Mina thought about it and immediately reddened up. Even the mere thought of her and Mark being intimidated with each other made her feel flustered.
 

They continued drinking their coffee happily. A couple of hours went by and they decided it was time to return home.

Mina’s babysitting started at 4 and it was only 1:00 o’clock. They were walking toward her apartment building and talked about meaningless staff. Still Mina couldn’t concentrate on whatever story her friend was telling her. She didn’t want to be bothered by him, but she couldn’t help it. The scene was replaying it shelf on her mind again and again and again.

Eventually Jihye had enough of Mina’s – I can’t concentrate on anything, because of that Mark Tuan guy-

“Ok. Enough.” Mina heard Jihye say. She looked at her weirdly waiting her friend to say whatever she wanted to say that made her so irritated.

“Look” She started while hesitating a little of how to say her next line. After taking a big breath she continued. “I’m really happy that you found someone interesting to like and he is on your mind every second, but you need to snap out of it. I’m not jealous I’m just irritated that you don’t even bother to have a conversation with me. And let’s face it you don’t even you know him. You only know his name, his age and major. You don’t know his phone number, where he leaves or what kind of a person he is. For all you know he can be a jackass.” Jihye said at one breath, her face was red from holding her breath for so long.

Mina looked at her hurt. She had the saddest eyes Jihye had ever seen. Not even when her first ever boyfriend broke up with her, she wasn’t that sad.

Jihye wanted to protect her from doing something that would hurt her… a lot.

Mina started taking uneven breaths trying to calm her shelf because she didn’t want to start a fight with her best friend over nothing. 

“Jihye” Mina started saying softly. “I’m not stupid ok? I know that you care for me and you said what you said only to protect me from getting hurt, but I’m the one responsible for myself and you know that I am not reckless. I didn’t say that I’ll jump on him the next time I see him or that I’m in love but can’t I at least develop a small crush and if I see that he is worth the risk then I’ll see what I’ll do.” Mina said softly without even looking at Jihye. Even though she knew that Jihye wanted the best for her, she couldn’t help but feel sad and hurt.

A big awkward silence followed. Neither of them wanted to break that silence. I mean it was only fair. Jihye wanted the best for Mina and Mina wanted for Jihye to understand that she is not stupid. Yes her first boyfriend did something stupid in the past that leaded her to breaking up with him, but that’s it. She won’t do the same mistake again.

This time she will be more careful and less reckless.

Eventually they got in front of Mina’s apartment complex. They stood frozen for a second until Jihye started laughing like a maniac Mina followed soon.

“We are… ha ha ha ha… really… haha …stupid” Jihye tried to say between laughing.

 “I… ha ha ha… know haha” Mina was clutching her stomach from the whole laughing.

A couple of minutes passed and the two friends tried to calm themselves from the hysterical laugh. They took big breaths not looking at each other because they knew that if they looked at each other’s face they would start laughing again.

Finally, after calming down Jihye was the first one who spoke.

“I’m so sorry.” She said with puppy eyes and an apologetic face. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or something I just…” She paused for a little to think how to say the next line and continued. “I just won’t forgive myself if you get hurt again because of someone stupid” She said with an apologetic face.

Mina smiled. Nothing could compare to making up with your best friend.

“You know I could never hold a grudge against you over something so stupid” They gave each other a smile and a hug.

After biting their goodbyes, Mina went inside the building and headed toward the elevator. She went to 4th floor and unlocked the door of her apartment.

She put off her shoes and changed clothes, suitable enough for babysitting; since she didn’t have time to change later she could as well change now. After changing she went to the kitchen to cook something for lunch. She looked at the refrigerator to see if she had enough ingredients for Shin Ramyun.(http://www.trifood.com/image/food/shinramyun.jpg )

While looking at her plate she couldn’t help but remember Mark. And to even think that she just met him. She should snap out of it. This is not the time to think about him it’s not like she knew him. Im