“Why are you so obsessed with Jackson?” Mark asked me, still staring out the window. He then looked down to his nearly empty cup of cappuccino and stirred the tiny spoon randomly in the cup, making some clanking noises.

 

“Why are you so obsessed with who I like?” I shot back. He looked at me annoyed and pursed his lips, not saying anything. I sipped more on the straw of my sweet black tea, eyeing the glory that is Jackson Wang, who was sitting several tables away from us. He was hanging out with some of his best friends, Jaebum and Yugyeom, and they were all laughing about whatever guys laugh about together.

 

Jackson and Mark are also best friends, but Mark and I have been best friends since childhood because our families were always very close, even before the two of us were born in America. Mark moved to Korea when we were 14, but 2 years later I moved here also, thus getting in touch with Mark again. Transferring into the same high school as Mark, I met Jackson and the others like BamBam, Jr. and Youngjae … but it was Jackson’s voice that kept replaying in my head. I guess you could say I had the slightest crush on him.

 

I sighed dreamily as I watched Jackson laugh. Could anyone be more perfect? I kept daydreaming until I finally noticed Mark waving his hands in front of me. “Hello? Return to Earth! Stop imagining Wang as your last name!” Mark scolded. I felt my ears turn red. “S-shut up,” I muttered. “You’re just mad you can’t get a decent girl to like you.”

 

Mark raised one eyebrow and bit his lower lip. He’s up to something. “I challenge that.” I mentally groaned inside. Why did I say that? He’s freaking Mark Tuan - nearly half of the girls at school are head over heels for him, that is, if they aren’t too busy drooling over the other GOT7 kingkas. Mark called for a waitress, who quickly came over to our table. “Ay, I think we’re ready for the check,” he said, his raspy voice sounding flirtatious. He winked at her and gave a shy half-smile, bringing on what he likes to call the “Tuan charm”. Anyone could’ve guessed that the waitress was about to faint. She blushed and shook her head. “It’s okay, it’s on the house. Thank you!” The waitress then quickly scurried away, probably off to fangirl in the kitchen.

 

“Well, because of this guy, your tea and muffin is free. You’re welcome,” Mark smirked. “Oh, I’m so honored,” I said sarcastically. I took another sip of my tea. “And I said a decent girl, okay?” He laughed. “Hey, what can I do? Every lady wants a piece of me,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

 

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I’ll take your cocky side and throw it in the trash. Maybe then your head won’t get so big every time you get a girl’s number.” I stuck my tongue out at him. He also stuck his tongue out at me, and we both laughed.

 

I sighed again and rested my chin in the palm of my hand, my gaze drifting back to Jackson. “I don’t mind getting a piece of Jackson, though.” I held up both of my hands like mini guns and pretended to fire them at Mark. “You get me?”

 

“Ew, that’s really gross,” Mark shuddered. “But if you just loooove Jackson soooo much,” he exaggerated, “Why don’t you just ask him out?” He leaned in, anticipating my answer.

 

“Well, I’m me. And yeah,” I said.

“You’re you. So?” Mark further questioned.

“So? SO?” I exclaimed. “So … Jackson doesn’t like girls like me.”

 

“Girls like you?”

 

“Yeah, stop repeating everything I’m saying,” I grumbled. Why was he being so pesky on this topic? “Girls like me. Girls who wear torn up torn up sneakers instead of fancy high heels and are more obsessed with finding out when the next episode of their favorite K-drama airs than what eye makeup would go well with my complexion. Jackson is a prince, so naturally, he seeks princesses.” That being said, my realization for how much of a failed human being I was grew deeper. I slammed my head onto the table.

 

“HA!” Mark shouted. “Oh please, he’s no prince. If anything, he’s a momma’s boy.”

 

“Whatever! You know what I mean.”

 

“Sorry, no. I don’t know what you mean. You keep looking down on yourself. Hey, who knows? Jackson maybe thinks you’re cute, and even if he doesn’t, that doesn’t mean you aren’t. Okay?” Mark preached.

 

Wow. Did Mark just COMPLIMENT me?

 

“Yeah, okay. Now move your big head out of the way, you’re blocking the view,” I complained, trying to get a good look at Jackson again. I moved my body to the left, but Mark blocked my view again. I kept moving my head side to side, only to have Mark mirror my movements so I wouldn’t be able to see Jackson.

 

“Mark Yi En Tuan! Quit it!”

 

Mark then stood up abruptly and grabbed my wrist tightly. He basically dragged me out of the coffee shop. I made sure to grab my tea with my other free hand. “Hey, let go of me!” I yelled. Ignoring me, he dragged me all the way to a nearby park that was one block away from the coffee shop we were just at.

 

He finally let go of his tight grip when he forced me to sit on an old swing set. Mark took his own seat next to me on the swings and pushed his feet a little bit off the ground so the swing would be in motion. “So what’s this all about?” I asked him.

 

Mark swung a little bit more before he put both of his feet on the ground, stopping the swing. He looked at me and gave me his signature smile. It wasn’t the smile that was used to pick up girls, the smile that persuaded teachers to let him have one more day to turn in late homework, or the smile that was given when audiences watched his music performances. It was the smile that meant he had a plan. And that genuinely scared me.

 

“Well, you focus more on Jackson instead of me, so that was annoying. But now that it’s just me and you, this feels better,” Mark said, smirking.

 

“What do you mean, ‘this feels better’? What’s ‘this’?” I asked again. I sipped more on the black tea until only some cubed ice was left in the plastic cup.

 

“‘This’?” Mark thought aloud. “I don’t know. Love, maybe?”

 

I spit my tea out, coughing on the liquid. Mark looked over to me in alarm and reached over a little bit out of his swing to pat my shoulder slowly. “Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

 

“No! What the hell are you talking about? Love? Think before you speak, Mark!” I yelled.

 

“Dammit, _____!” he yelled back. “I like you, okay? But the only guy you ever look at is stupid Jackson, and do you even know how painful it is to be practically invisible to you? Am I really not as great or prince-like or whatever as he is?,” Mark confessed, completely bursting out.

 

“Can’t you just look at me for once? I’m here, too, not just Jackson …” Mark finished, becoming more quiet.

 

It became silent except for the creaking metal noises from the swing set. I tried to absorb everything in my brain, but it didn’t make sense. Mark Tuan, my best friend … in love with me? Yes, he’s attractive, and yes, he’s smart, talented, and nearly everything a girl could want in a guy. But how could he be in love with me?

 

I broke the silence with an awkward chuckle. “You’re joking,” I finally replied.

 

Mark stood up, angry. Bad call. Ohmigod, karma’s gonna KILL me later.  “Seriously? I genuinely really like you, and you take me as a joke?” His eyebrows knit together in frustration. My breathing hitched, feeling intimidated by this unseen side of Mark.

 

Mark took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his quickly styled hair. His angry scowl from early turned into a sly grin. “Let’s make a deal, _____. Tomorrow is Monday, the official start of spring break. For one whole week, we have 7 dates, meaning one date each day,” he spoke. “By the end of the week, you tell me whether or not if you can return my feelings, or if you still love Jackson,” Mark spat out the word love bitterly.

 

“Wh-why? You can’t make me!” I stammered.

 

“Don’t I deserve a chance?” Mark said boldly. “Don’t I deserve to show you that I can be a man, your man?” His eyes that were usually fiery and mischievous became a slight bit more solemn. “Can’t you at least do this one thing for me?”

 

Dammit, he’s guilt-tripping you. I inwardly groaned.

 

I jumped off the swing. I can’t believe that he’s convincing me to agree to this. “Fine, I’ll do your a ‘date a day’ deal,” I muttered, but Mark heard my words. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. He opened his mouth, but I spoke first, “But you can’t just change somebody else’s feelings in a week.”

 

Mark jumped off his swing also. He turned to face me with another one of his famous smirks.

 

He took two steps closer to me; his body warmth radiating my skin like the flame of a single candle. Mark whispered into my ear, “We’ll see about that.” He quickly kissed my temple, my body freezing yet electrocuting with the unknown feeling of intimate skinship.

 

(That was the first time a guy has actually kissed me, oh goodness I’m such a .)

 

Mark pulled away, laughing softly at my reaction. “Be ready by 9:30 AM tomorrow. Wear warm clothes.” He lightly swept my messy side bangs out of my eyes and turned around to walk out of the park, leaving me alone and stunned by his quick kiss.