"I love thee, I love but thee With a love that shall not die Till the sun grows cold And the stars grow old."

- William Shakespeare

CHAPTER 8

Days went by, and Yoona found herself slowly getting accustomed with Siwon hanging around. He would always sort her out and asked her to take lunch with him, much to her annoyance. She would always decline, and they would quarrel. At the end of the day, Siwon’s persistence wins.

Not only that, after last period has ended, he would be there, outside her classroom. As he saw her, his face would lit up, his boyish smile evident in his face. Her classmates would sigh in an exaggerated way. She fined it so annoying she wanted to sometimes strangle him.

“I’ll bring you home.” He would say. And again she would strongly refuse, this time; she didn’t let the boy win. “Insist further and the deal is off.” She would frostily respond, as a last argument. He would close his mouth and pout his lips, as if someone had snatched his lollipop. “fine.” He would answer.

Never had he taken her home except that one time.

She had also met some of Siwon’s basketball mates. Kyuhyun is the only sophomore. He’s the one who always teases Siwon. Sungmin is the actor, Leeteuk is the serious co-captain, and Eunhyuk is Siwon’s bestfriend. It was hard to believe that his team had won the championships two times in a row, when all she could see was a bunch of crazy monkeys goofing around with each other.

“So she was the damsel in distress everyone had been talking about.” Kyuhyun declared the first time they met. Siwon immediately nudged him on the stomach. “ow hyung! That hurts”

“Whatever, get out of my sight.” Siwon playfully pushed him away.

He looked at Yoona “sorry”

Yoona looked at him too. “I don’t mind.” she shrugged.

The truth is, as days passed by, Yoona discovered more about Siwon than she would have liked to know. He’s the basketball captain, intelligent, rich and nice. He’s kind to everyone, living and non-living. She sometimes found it unusual that he is still single, when all the girls flock around him like he’s the son of a god.

She would curse herself. I don’t give a damn about his life. It’s only a month’s worth of friendship. But as she thought about the duration of their deal, a strange feeling always comes through her, she almost felt... sad. She would brushed it off.That’s foolish. I can’t wait to end this bothersome ordeal.

She hadn’t admitted it yet, but Siwon had become a part of her daily routine as days gradually passed by. She’s so used to him nowadays that his presence and actions doesn’t annoy nor bother her as much as it had before. She had not yet realized it, but she unconsciously sees him close to a friend now.

...Well...almost...

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“Yoona-shhi, what is that black shiny thing on your pocket?” Siwon asked Yoona. They were walking towards the school canteen.

Yoona took out the black shiny thing. It was a cellphone. “This?”

“I didn’t know you have one.” He took his own. He bought a new one, since the last one was ruined, after he dropped it the day Yoona nearly fell in the stairs.

“Can I have it?” without hesitation, she gave him her phone.

He saved his number in her phone, lifts the phone up and took his own picture. Yoona watched him silently. He dialled his number in her phone, when his own phone received it, he saved her number and lifts his own phone, using the element of surprise, he took Yoona’s picture.

“YAH!” Yoona protested. He handed her phone back.

Her eyes were slits. “Delete it immediately Choi Siwon.”

Siwon calmly answered. “No I won’t”

“Then I will delete your number.”

“I can still contact you, I have your number.” He showed his boyish smile.

“I will change my number.” She snapped.

“You won’t.” He sounded so sure.

Yoona raised her brows. “And what made you so sure?”

He looked at her intently and grinned. “Because you will find it troublesome, changing your number.”

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First period had not yet started. Yoona’s classmates were busy talking to each other, while she was staring at the window again, uncaring as ever. It was a fine warm day.

“Yoona-shii!” a baritone voice made every people in the class silent. She turned her head.

Siwon was standing by the door, panting slightly. She assumed he had run from wherever he had come. She looked at his appearance. His face was lit with an excitement he could not contain. His smile is so wide, his eyes so happy.

Her classmates wide-eyed with shock and envy, Siwon walked towards Yoona, grabbed her hand, and tugged it, which made her stood up from her seat.

“Come with me, you need to see something...” without waiting for her reply, he yanked her and ran.  

Still holding her hand, they ran towards the direction of the parking lot.

“Hey! What are you doing? Where are you going to take me?” she shouted.

“You’ll see” he answered. They reached his car, let Yoona in before he ran to the driver’s seat and started the engine.

He drove the car out of the school. “Where are we going?” Yoona asked Siwon.

“You’ll see” he smiled, excitement still evident in his very expression.

She’s angry at him now. “You—“

“Please don’t be mad, Yoona-shii “

She fell silent, kept shut and breathed out. They were travelling for ten minutes, then Siwon stomped the breaks. They stopped outside a neat park.

The two went out. Siwon instinctively grabbed Yoona’s hand again, and led the walk. The nerve. She thought, but she didn’t yank her hand away.

Siwon guiding her, they reached a tree located a mere distance from the center of the park. At the roots of the tree, two cats were visible. One Yoona did not recognize, the other one was Mr. Cat.

So they came all the way here to see the cats.

Siwon sat next to Mr. Cat. “Come Yoona-shii.” Yoona obliged. She sat next to the other cat.

“Yoona-shii!” siwon looked at her, eyes sparkling. “Mr. Cat has finally found a companion!”

Yoona was puzzled, and then she remembered the details behind Mr. Cat’s life. Yoona looked at Mr. Cat and at the other cat.

“I’m so happy for you Mr. Cat, you are now happy again. I know Mistress is happy for you too” siwon smiled at the cat, and then he gently caressed its ears. The cat purred. Siwon laughed.

“But I don’t know her name” Siwon looked at the other cat and mumbled. “Is it darling? No... How about Claudia? Sarita? Hanna?” the cat did not respond.

Yoona watched Siwon telling random names. She was amused at Siwon’s childishness.

“Honey?” the cat meowed. “Your name is Honey! You’re so cute!” he grabbed Honey in between his hands and snuggled it close to his cheeks. “Make Mr. Cat so happy okay?” the cat meowed again as a response. “Awww...” Siwon giggled like a baby.

Siwon looked so childish and so hilarious. Yoona couldn’t contain herself anymore.

She burst out laughing.