At a nearby park

Yoomin's POV

I cannot imagine that it was ever going  to be possible. I was never much of a runner myself but seems like the recent events have made me quite a marathon runner.

I don't know what occurred to me but when Leeteuk and Jiyoo decided to go for a run, and invited Donghae and I as well. I ran with all my might, not stopping for even a breather.

"Yoomin, are you still alive?" Donghae asked, pulling me back just as I was about to start another lap again. Leeteuk and Jiyoo were already sitting on the park bench, exhausted and flattened out. They were squinting at me against the bright sunlight.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I replied, continuing to jog on the spot so as to not miss my perfect momentum.

"No stop," Donghae spoke, pulling my wrist towards the bench where Leeteuk and Jiyoo were seated.

"Ah why!" I whined, feeling annoyed that instead of cheering me on to run, he was dissuading me from it.

"You have been running for nearly an hour and I've calculated how much you've run," he spoke, as he rummaged for his bottle of water from his bag, because I had so conveniently forgotten to bring one. "You've run 15 km already!"

"Really?" I asked, surprise obvious from the tone of my voice. My eyes opened wide in shock.

Wow. Really.

"Have you gone nuts?" Jiyoo said, throwing my clean towel at me, causing Leeteuk to burst out laughing.

"Sometimes, people need to let out some steam," Leeteuk spoke, pulling his blue towel off his neck to dry his hair. "And running is just one good way."

"I agree with you there," I replied, clapping a hand on his back.

"Here drink this," Donghae handed me his bottle. I took it cautiously, quite unsure if I should actually drink the water. My eyes roved around to look at Jiyoo's and Leeteuk's bottle. Empty.

Dang it.

"Go on drink," Donghae said nodding at me, as he sat down next to Leeteuk.

Yoomin ah, there's no other water to drink anyway, just drink it. It's just water.

But it's his bottle! It's almost like kissing him.

I twisted the bottle cap and slowly moved it to my mouth, still hesitant. As I held the bottle in mid-air, I paused, and looked at Donghae.

"Is the water clean?"

"Just drink!!" Jiyoo and Donghae chorused. Leeteuk simply laugh out loud.

I moved the bottle to my mouth and gulped down the cool water, quenching the sudden thirst in me when I tasted the water. Drinking down almost half of the water, i stopped for a breather, feeling so refreshed.

"My turn," Donghae said, quickly snatching the bottle off my hand and quickly gulped down the remaining water.

For no apparent reason, I felt a silly grin escaping my mouth and I felt myself go even redder.

He just drank from the bottle. He just drank from it! He drank from the same bottle I did. YAHHH Yoomin pull yourself together!! Oh no oh no, don't turn any redder and stop smiling like an idiot!

"Oh omo, what's happening to you?" Jiyoo asked me, jerking me back to present.

Leeteuk and Donghae then both turned to look at me.

No, no, no don't look at me. YAHHH stop smiling like an idiot Lee Yoomin!

"Ah, what?" I stammered, unable to string words into a sentence.

"Don't tell me you were thinking of," Jiyoo said teasingly, wiggling an eyebrow at me.

"What! NO! NO!" I shouted, waving my hands furiously, flustered. Donghae looked confusingly from me to Jiyoo then back. Leeteuk got it immediately and practically rolled on the floor laughing. I felt my face burning up.

"An indirect ki-"

I ran to Leeteuk and clapped both my hands on his mouth tight, preventing him to continue what he was saying.

"Ahmmm mhhm ahh mmmh," he continued.

"Oh nothing, nothing," I replied to Donghae quickly, laughing uneasily to try and drown out Leeteuk's voice.

Donghae shrugged innocently, not getting anything (thank gawd). When Leeteuk finally stopped struggling, I dropped my hands back to my side.

"You want to drink the rest?" he spoke innocently, wiping his mouth with the back of his left hand, and handing me his bottle with his right.

Totally not helping my case, Leeteuk and Jiyoo burst out laughing again, with me standing awkwardly with a totally red face.

.

Donghae's POV

"How are things with you?"

We were walking along the road. I offered to sent her home after our evening run although it was opposite from my way home was in the totally opposite way. The sun was setting on our left, casting an orange light in the sky. The road was fairly empty except for a few cars passing by. A quiet area. The wind blew gently and leaves of the trees rustled softly.

"Alright I guess," she spoke softly, hands shove deep in her pocket. "It's just the problem with Seonhee and I."

"I know," I spoke softly, quite unsure of what to say. I heard a lot from Eunhyuk but I wasn't sure when was the right time to talk to Yoomin about it. I didn't want to say things that I don't understand. Well this might be the perfect chance to.

"I know it's probably not my place to ask," I started, pausing for a little, checking my words carefully to make sure I don't say things I don't actually mean and hurt her. "What really happened between you two?"

"I.." she stopped and paused for awhile. And then she began telling me everything that had happened. Just as we reached her front door, it was already dark outside and the walkway remained lit by only a lamp post along the side of the road.

I was silent for most of the time, just nodding and listening, taking in everything that she saying. Deciphering the feelings she was trying to hide behind her words.

"So thanks by the way," she spoke gently, almost a soft whisper. "For ehm, sending me home and uh, listening."

Her eyes cast down on to the floor unable to look me in the eyes, as she swayed back and forth at the balls of her feet. Then I remembered that I wanted to ask her out this coming Tuesday, and I think its just right if I ask her par-.

"Oh!" she suddenly spoke. "Why don't you come in first? I mean if you don't mind-"

"Sure thing," I cut her off and smiled hugely. Just simply happy that she has invited me into her home. She smiled and dug into her bag for her keys to open her door.

She then opened her door and I stepped in after her.

Immediately the door opens to the living room, in which a huge LCD TV was attached to the wall. There were two huge brown sofas in the middle of the room and a matching white-washed elliptical wooden coffee table over an ash-grey carpet.

On the sofa was a boy seated, about twelve years of age, watching a Danny Phantom cartoon. He was at that peak of his puberty, a few tiny pimples on the forehead and a still semi-high-pitched breaking voice as he called, "Yes I've done my homework!"

Yoomin then proceeded to wipe her feet off the doormat, and tugged at my shirt to do likewise.

"Hey idiot," she greeted her brother, throwing a paper bag of some food at him.

He opened it excitedly before exclaiming, "Wow! How did you know?!"

He turned to her, his mouth opened wide.

"Shut up and just eat it before I change my mind," she snapped at him.

He scowled at her and then turning to me, he eyed me carefully and then asked (or more like stated), "You're Sungmin."

What?? What the heck??

"YAHHH! He's not Sungmin!"

How could I be mistaken for that jerk?!?! I'm like, more handsome, cleverer, cooler and awesome-r.

"Hey I'm Donghae," I replied back instead, controlling the urge to stomp my feet with annoyance.

"Oh so you're that guy," he replied, nodding his head knowingly.

What does that mean? I wonder if Yoomin told him anything about me.

"Yahh! Stop talking to him already," Yoomin snapped at her brother and at the same time quickly pulled me to the dining area, to sit on the chair. There were 4 sets of plate and cutleries already ready on the table.

"Ehm, Yoomin?"

She walked to the kitchen where I could just see her mother cooking. She whispered to her mother who afterwards turned to look at me to give me a very approving smile.

I guess that's a good sign right? I mean my chances of getting a yes later rose with to 80% just with that smile.

"You are eating with us," Yoomin said, entering the dining area with an extra plate and cutleries.

"Ah, I think it's alright," I started but was cut off.

"My mother insists."

Soon, her mother brought the dish to the table and called her brother, "YooGeun, dinner now."

Her father also entered the room, reading a newspaper, his spectacles askew.

"Ohhoh, who's this young man?" he asked as soon as he sat down in front of the dining table.

"Yoomin's boyfriend," YooGeun muttered who was sitting directly opposite Yoomin, earning him a hard kick under the table from his sister who was seated beside me.

"Ow!"

Yoomin's mother laughed softly at this exchange of their "affection", then gave me a warm smile.

The dinner progressed, with occasional questions from Yoomin's father. As the time for me to leave draws nearer, I could feel my palm sweating and my throat and mouth feeling dry. My heart began to beat very fast.

"I was just wondering sir," I began, pausing a little slowly thinking about what I was saying.

"Is it alright if I bring her out on Tuesday?"

"On Tuesday?" Yoomin's mother asked.

"Isn't that valentine's day?" YooGeun asked.

"Ehm," was all Yoomin could say.

"As much as I would like to allow you, she can't because she's flying off to Japan on the night before."

Japan trip? Dang! That trip! Why did it have to be scheduled on a valentine's day?!?! Which heartless and loveless teacher organized such a trip?!?!

I nodded, feeling dejected.

"Sorry," Yoomin muttered, turning to me.

"It's alright," I replied, but feeling nothing close to alright.

"If you knew she was going on the trip with Lee Sungmin, you wouldn't say that," YooGeun mused, a sly smile playing on his face.

"Yah! Lee YooGeun!"

With that jerk! Dang! That I cannot take.