“Saeron, do you mind if I sit here?” Seungho asked. Sohyun looked up in surprised at him. Saeron, quickly grabbed her stuff and moved to another seat before Seungho sat down. He leaned back and turned to Sohyun with a smile. “I’m tired. I didn’t have much sleep last night. You don’t mind, do you?” he said as he leaned his head on her shoulder and held her hand, intertwining their finger. Sohyun adjusted herself to make him more comfortable and when his eyes closed, she turned to look out of the window.

They were on the way to an away game in another city. Seungho’s action was totally unexpected and would definitely lead to chatters among the soccer players and cheerleaders.  A few of the new cheerleaders have asked Sohyun about her relationship with Seungho. Sohyun had claimed that they are just close friends and the girls are free to attract or confess to him. But Seungho’s recent behavior is making it increasingly unbelievable.

His phone’s alarm buzzed. Sohyun turned to wake him up and saw that he was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Seeing her face, he smiled. She returned the smile as they held each other’s gaze. “I got to go upfront now. I see you tonight?” he asked softly. She nodded. He told her he will message the location later that night.

As Sohyun walked away from the bus, she could hear some of the new cheerleaders talking about her and Seungho. She walked ahead, ignoring the gossips, not even feeling angry because she knew it was justifiable. Yoojung and Saeron run up to her, each grabbing one of her hands. Both turned and looked at her as they continued walking

“What??” she asked. “Both of you are dating now?” Saeron asked. Sohyun shook her head. “Waaa…. Then what’s with this open display?” Saeron was shocked. Yoojung who had this conversation with Sohyun before, was more concerned about Sohyun’s feelings, especially with the gossips that are flying around.

“I know. But I don’t really care. I enjoy his attention and I am happy that he is not hiding his feelings. At least I know that my feelings is not one sided. And those gossips, I am not angry. It won’t affect me,” Sohyun said firmly. The two girls just nodded their support.

That night, Sohyun walked towards the pool house as instructed by Seungho. As she passed the end of it, she saw him leaning against the side of the building, waiting for her. Even in the dim light, she saw his radiant smile lighting his handsome countenance. He extended his hand for hers as she approached him. Holding hands, they walked towards a sitting area at the end of the garden of the hotel. Pulling his chair next to hers, they sat down.

“I see that you still have fanboys. When will it stop?” he asked teasingly. Sohyun chuckled. She knew he was referring to the earlier incident when several students from the University they played against, stopped the cheerleaders as they were making their way out of the field. Then an acapella group serenaded her with a love song and at the end, a guy appeared with a bouquet of flowers. Sohyun was gentle in her rejection but the whole incident was talked about at the locker room and dinner table. Seungho saw only at the end of the incident when Sohyun shook hands with the guy but he heard the whole story from the other guys.

 “Well, it’s not as if you lack girls throwing themselves at you too?” she teased back. Seungho has been receiving chocolates, love letters and confessions. “I need to be a grouch back. Its seriously bothering me,” Seungho said grimly. “I don’t want any other girls’ attention, only yours,” and he squeezed her hand.

“Are you free next Saturday afternoon?” she asked. He nodded. “Hmm.. now that I started going out to some events, I’ve been invited to a polo game this Saturday. Would you mind being my plus 1 on that day?” she asked expectantly. Seungho knew this is probably another event the chaebols hang out together and he wasn’t keen. But Sohyun was looking at him hopefully and if he said no, she would find someone else to be her date. Seungho did not want anyone to be going with her instead.

“Will Nayun be there?” he asked seriously. Sohyun giggled. She had expected the question. She shook her head. “It’s one activity that she never attends. She hates it.” Seungho nodded his head, “Then ok, I’ll be your date.” She beamed and thanked him.

“Do you play polo?” she asked. “Yes, I was in my high school team actually. I love horses. We have a few in our stable at the resort and I sometimes conduct tours on horseback or just horseback riding on the beach.” Sohyun widened her eyes, impressed. “I’ve tried riding when I was young but the horse almost threw me off and I never tried again.”  “Oh, then I should teach you,” he quickly suggested. Sohyun wasn’t sure she was keen to learn.

They chatted about horse-riding for a bit before Seungho asked her about her birthday plans. “Will you be having a birthday party like the one Nayun had?” Sohyun shook her head. Since it’s my 21st, the party is a family/business event. My mom is organizing it. I can invite some friends but my family would be there and they would invite other people from other families and businesses, who would come with their children.”

Seungho listened and something came to mind. “Is this like a big blind date setup?” Sohyun laughed. “You are quick. Yes, it’s when I am being paraded as a potential for other families’ consideration.” Seungho raised his eyebrows, surprised evident on his face. “You are taking this very lightly.” Sohyun shrugged. “We take it like a rite of passage. Don’t let it bother us until its time to deal with it.”

She then turned to Seungho with a smile. “You will come to my party? I will invite our closest friends and have asked Oppa to book rooms for all of us. Since the party is not going to be fun, we can have our own get together after.” Seungho returned the smile, “Of course I’ll be there. What would you like for your birthday?” Sohyun shook her head. “We don’t give presents on birthday parties, except to the really close ones. So, its fine.” He slid his arms around her waist and leaned closer. “I’m not close enough?” Seungho whispered softly. Sohyun trembled. His warm breath on her cheeks was giving her the tingles. She also noticed how close his lips were to hers and how her neck has started to feel hot and her heart started to beat faster. She stared into his eyes for a moment and quickly looked away as her cheeks pinked. “That’s up to you,” she said softly before turning away.

They arrived at the turf club for the polo game on a sunny, hot Saturday afternoon. Immediately they met some of Sohyun’s friends whom she introduced to Seungho as they waited for the start of the game. As expected, Seungho did not hold her hand or any other form of skinship. Sohyun was no longer affected by it as she understood him.

“Hey Seungho, how are you?” Sehun greeted him and he clapped his shoulder. Seungho smiled at his friendly cousin and they shook hands. “I thought you are going to call me for drinks or something?” Sehun asked. “I’m sorry. We just started our term and I’ve been busy,” Seungho apologized. Sohyun touched Sehun’s arm. “He is Captain of the soccer team so he had a lot of planning and organizing to do at the beginning of the new year,” Sohyun explained. Seungho glanced at the hand on Sehun’s arms and internally grimaced.

Sehun widened his eyes. “Hey, we have a soccer team that played leisurely on Sunday morning every fortnight. You should join us sometime. We are not that competitive though, so our standards may not be at the level you are used to. But we play for fun,” Seungho told him he would love to join sometime. After they chatted a little bit more on the soccer games, Sehun left to join a table further on.

Seungho and Sohyun observed Sehun taking a seat next to a pretty blonde. “Is that his girlfriend?” Seungho asked. “No, that is his youngest sister, Ah Hyeon. A very talented girl. Her paintings are beautiful. They put it up at some of their hotels.” Seungho could only see the girl’s side profile but he was pleased to see a glimpse of another of his cousin.

They met some others that were at Nayun's party and a few more that wasn't. No one batted an eyelid at Seungho's presence as they were used to friends being joining in. Seungho enjoyed the game that afternoon. He could easily join any of the teams based on the skill level he saw.  

After the game, Seungho suggested going for a walk at Han River. Seungho took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers the moment they started their walk. After a couple of minutes, Sohyun stopped and turned to him. She tilted her head slightly and asked. “Do you really hate to hold my hands when we are with my circle of friends?”

With his free hand, he grazed her cheeks lightly. His eyes then rested on her inquiring eyes and it stays there. “I don’t hate to hold your hand. Ever. But, since we are not dating officially for now, I don’t want to make it difficult for you to explain our complex relationship to people in your circle.” She bit her lips before she asked, “Even if it doesn’t bother me?” He cupped her head and tilted it up. They stared at each other. “It bothers me, like how it also bothers me when you can casually touch Sehun’s arms earlier.” Sumin grinned. “Why should it bother you? He has a girlfriend, you know.” And under her breath, she murmurred, "And I'm not yours" . She turned and continued their walk.

Seungho stood around the carpark looking for Sohyun’s car. Since the incident several weeks ago when they bumped into each other and Jieun at the car park, Seungho had noticed that no matter how early he gets to the carpark, Sohyun had already left the campus. He had wondered if she did it to avoid seeing him with Jieun again. From the corner of his eyes, he saw