"Oh, come on. We're gonna have fun! Please?" begged Emma.

     She's been going on about a date with a Korean guy she met in school but the guy asked her to bring a friend for his friend and now she's been bugging me for almost an hour. I already declined but she won't accept it. How am I supposed to go on a date when all I have been thinking about for the past week is GD? And aside from that, I never go on dates! If I had the confidence and the looks, I wouldn't be a no-boyfriend-since-birth.

     It's already been a week but GD still hasn't called me like he promised. School was fun, yes, but I was constantly agonizing over whether he'd still contact me. What if he's too busy to be having friends outside his circle? He's got a lot of friends he won't get an issue with! If he's seen with me, there will surely be a lot of lambasting. Like, why is he friends with a college student? An ugly one at that. And if people would suspect us to be dating - which is very unlikely, but just in case - I would be judged and criticized for being too ugly of a girlfriend for the precious G-Dragon, even if I wasn't. I don't want to be hated. I'd rather stay in the shadows forever. Pretty much like I have always been. GD is just... way out of my league. Friendship-wise.

     After stuffing my clean clothes in my cabinet, I turned to face Emma who was sitting on my bed, pouting her lips really hard. "Even if it hurt my feelings that I was the last option... alright." I finally agreed. It's not that I really cared about being the last resort, though. "But it's just a double friendly date. A double friendly meeting."

     "Yes, I promise! Thank you so much! I owe you big time!"

     The meeting is tomorrow, after school. I have a day to prepare but this is going to be really hard. I've never been to any social gathering before that included more than two people. What am I supposed to wear?

     I never thought that a time would come that I'd actually ask myself that.

~~~~~

     "Believe me. It's true!" Dong Jun convinced. He's trying to convince me that parallel universes are real.

     Dong Jun and I met a few days ago in  school. We're taking up the same degree so it wasn't difficult for us to be friends. Besides, he's really friendly and fun so he was able to go past my being aloof.

     "I think there is a lot of versions of me. There are, like, infinite possibilities. There might actually be a Dong Jun out there, in one of those dimensions, who is not this good-looking." he added.

     "I hope there is one who isn't so full of himself." I joked. He looks decent but his charisma is not oozing like GD's. Nevertheless, he looks good, so he's not exactly lying. His eyes are a little bigger than the typical East Asian eyes. His hair is black and neatly cut, pretty much like GD's.

     Okay, I really gotta stop thinking about GD.

     Dong Jun hugged himself and pretended to be hurt. "You're so mean. I thought you were different." he lamented, and then smiled afterwards. "You're done for the day, right? Wanna grab a cup of coffee?" he then invited.

     "Can't. Sorry. I have to be somewhere in a few minutes." I told him.

     "Alright. See you tomorrow?"

     "See you."

     Dong Jun and I talk in English. It's already been a week but my Korean vocabulary still hasn't improved. Most of the students speak in English; they rarely converse in Korean! My Korean Language subject is only once a week and last week, we only got to learn greetings and introductions, which I already knew.

     I walked the rest of the way to my dorm alone, thinking about what I was going to wear. It should be something that will make me look presentable and feel comfortable at the same time. But last time I checked, those two never really reconciled.

     "What took you so long?" Emma whimpered as soon as I stepped inside our room. The girl couldn't even wait to complain until I got off my shoes.

     "I have a class until 5:30 on Mondays, remember?" I responded, trying not to sound y.

     "Alright, alright. Now go get dressed." she ordered.

     I took a pair of pants and a red Mickey Mouse shirt with me to the bathroom to wash up and change. I decided not to wear anything out-of-my-comfort-zone. The least I could do is to wear a shirt that is not a bit oversized, but just fits right. 

     "You're wearing that!?" Emma exclaimed in utter surprise, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Please tell me you're, at least, going to wear flats."

     "Okay, that would be a no." I replied. I've never worn a pair before. They're just... too girly.

     "Oh, come on. They're comfortable, I swear!" she persuaded.

     "Still a 'no'." Isn't it already enough that I agreed to go out with strangers? "And besides, I don't have a pair of flats." I told her, which was true.

     "Oh, I have. You can borrow them."

     "We're not the same size."

     She got up and brought out one of her flats and laid them in front of me. We have the same shoe size! It's red with a black ribbon, perfectly matching my Mickey Mouse shirt. "Look, they'll look fabulous on you!" she tried to convince.

     Ain't buying that.

     "If you wear these, I'm going to take you to a concert."

     I've never been to a concert before for apparent reasons. I couldn't even go on dates, how much more on a concert? I just couldn't handle a crowd of more than two people. Nevertheless, my ears shot up, because we're in South Korea for Pete's sake. If she's taking me to a BIGBANG concert, I'm more than willing to wear a freaking dress for this double date.

     "Or better, we'll go to a music show. You know, the ones we could only watch in YouTube about a week ago, when we weren't here yet." she tempted.

     A concert would've been good but in a music show, there are, like, a lot of idols that would perform. I've always wanted to experience watching K-Pop performances live. This might be my chance, and it's going to be free.

     How desperate is she? Is the guy she likes that handsome that she's willing to shell out a lot of money? Well, she's rich, so it's probably just a charity to her.

     I reached out to Emma with an open palm and said, "Let me borrow a pair of foot socks, too."

~~~~~

     Emma and I sat beside each other, waiting for the guys to show up in the coffee shop. Even if I wasn't interested in this meeting, it still got me on the edge of my seat. What if the second guy is serious about this and expects Emma's friend to be pretty? If he ever tries to engage in a conversation with me, I can just go with it. The problem is, what if he frowns when he sees me and gives me a disgusted look and totally ignores me the entire time?

     Okay, I'm freaking out. This is why I don't like mingling with people! I have to always try to impress others and constantly worry about what they think of me!

     "Alright, they're here." Emma announced in a whisper, sending me chills.

     No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't look the guys in the eyes. My gaze remained fixed on the glass of water I was clutching with both of my hands. Emma stood up to greet them but I stayed seated, like the gravity was too strong for me to rise and be respectful by bowing to the guys older than us.

     "Maki!?" a familiar voice called.

     When I looked up to see whoever called my name, I found out that it was one of the guys, which made me feel more embarrassed than ever.

     I turned to Emma. She was already seated, so were the guys. "The guy you like is Dong Jun?" I asked in a whisper.

     "No, the other guy." she replied.

     You have got to be kidding me. "W-what are you doing here?" I asked Dong Jun, even if the answer was already obvious. He's the one set up with me!

     He was smiling wide, like he was trying to make fun of me for going on a blind date. "The same reason why you're here." he responded with a smirk.

     "You already know each other!" Emma, stating the obvious. "That's so great!" she chirped, nudging my side.

     I faked a smile and rolled my eyes, which Dong Jun caught.

     "Eric, this is Maki. Maki, this is Eric." Emma introduced.

     The two of us exchanged smiles and then Dong Jun butted in. "Maki, why don't we go order our coffee?" he invited, with an emphasis on the coffee, referring to his invitation about an hour ago.

     Emma and Eric dictated their orders and Dong Jun took note of them. I wasn't the one who offered to order anyway.

     At the counter, Dong Jun recited their orders to the barista while I stood silently behind him. "Oh, right. What's your order?" he asked.

     "Raspberry Frappe." I told him, getting reminded again about my little adventure with G-Dragon. Perhaps, I will never get to see him again. A deep sigh escaped and I was, once again, in sorrow, thinking about my chingu.

     "Hey. What got you so depressed all of sudden?" Dong Jun inquired.

     "Nothing." I replied in a low voice, walking back to our table with drooped shoulders.

     Emma was already sitting beside Eric when I came back to our table. I took a seat in front of her and watched the two of them talk to each other flirtily. I awkwardly shifted around my chair, realizing how much I missed my bag. I really can't sit properly without a bag on my back or on my lap.

     "Maki, can I borrow your phone? I need to reply to Ji Yeon." said Emma.

     "Where's yours?" I asked, reaching in my pocket.

     "My battery died."

     I checked all of my pockets but my phone was nowhere to be found. This is why I always bring a bag. "I think I forgot to bring my phone." I told her.

     "Here, use mine."

     "Oh, thanks, Dong Jun. Here, Emma. Use his." I handed her the phone but she was just staring at Dong Jun who was standing beside my chair, agape. So was Eric.

     "Why are you looking at Dong Jun like that?" I asked, also looking up. The phone I was holding out to Emma fell on the table. "W-w-w-w-" I stuttered.

     "Oh, my God. It's G-Dragon." Emma breathed out.

     "Damn. I lent you my precious phone because you forgot yours, and you just dropped it like that?" He didn't sound harsh nor pissed off but something about the way he said those words seemed cold. Or maybe he was just trying to make it look like we do not know each other. But why the hell would he show up like this and even lend me his cellphone if that was his intention?

     Before I could even reply, he already picked up the phone and walked away rather hastily, maybe to avoid commotion in the cafe because there were about thirty people inside. He entered a car parked outside and drove away.

     And now I am more depressed than ever.

     I missed him a lot. I missed his smile, his orange hair, his laugh, his adorable antics, everything. But now that I finally saw him again... I don't know. Something is off. I didn't recognize his voice at first because it was cold. It didn't sound like him. Is he mad at me?

     "Oh, my God! I wasn't able to take a picture!" Emma exclaimed. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, Maki! What a waste!"

     "What happened?" Dong Jun asked as he sat down, setting our drinks on the table.

     "Emma, I'm sorry, but I have to go." I told her. I stood up and then bowed to Eric.

     "What, why?" she asked, frowning.

     "I'm not feeling well." I told her. I wasn't lying because I wasn't really feeling well. I suddenly felt all drained out and I just want to crawl into bed and wallow in despair.

     "Come on, I'll take you home." Dong Jun offered. It was nice of him but I really wanted to be alone. But I didn't even have the energy to decline, so I just walked away, with him trailing behind.

     He held me by the shoulder and guided me to his car. He opened the door for me and I slid inside.

     It was a short ride back to the university. He was quiet the whole time, but was constantly checking on me. He parked across the street, in front of the gate, and helped me get out of the car.

     "Sorry, I ruined your date." I apologized. "You were supposed to meet someone who would probably become your girlfriend but instead, it was me who showed up."

     "I didn't even want to go." he said. "Eric just forced me to."

     "Really?"

     "Yeah. So don't worry about it." he reassured, flashing me a smile.

     I smiled back and was taken by surprise when he hugged me and planted a light kiss on my forehead. That wasn't supposed to happen!

     "If I had enough energy, I'd kick you in the nuts." I told him.

     "I know." he replied, smirking. "I'll see you tomorrow."

     "See you."

     Wow. Deja vu.

     I waved my hand as he drove away and waited until his car was nowhere to be seen.

     "Hope you had a nice date." I heard a familiar voice say. "Well, I think it went well, seeing him kiss you like that."

     I turned around in surprise and saw a figure leaning on a car, parked a few feet away. It was already dark but I know every inch of him all too well. "GD."

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