“Waaaaaa~! It’s definitely Valentine’s Day!!! You can really see love everywhere…” your best friend sighed. “I wish I have a boyfriend already. Life is SO boring.”

You chuckled. “Life with me is boring?” you teased.

“NO! OF COURSE NOT! We both know that’s not what I meant…”

You shook your head and pretended to be hurt. “If life with me is too boring already, why don’t you go to some random dude and confess?”

“_____! Don’t be hurt, arasso? Just think about it. It’s not like we can both get married to each other, right? WE NEED TO FIND OUR MATCH!!!” she pumped her fist into the air.

Your eyes widened. “Yah, Minhee, we’re still in high school. Stop thinking about marriage!”

She pouted. “Keep thinking like that and you’ll end up living alone!!! Isn’t there anyone you like?!”

You made a face.

She ignored it. A few seconds later, her eyes lit up. “How about him?”

You followed her gaze and watched as Choi Junhong, a.k.a. Zelo entered the school twirling a basketball on his finger. He laughed with his friends then caught your gaze. Your eyes widened and you immediately looked away. ‘Zelo’s cute. But he’s out of my league. I’m definitely not his type. Maybe he doesn’t even remember the first time we met.’

Zelo looked at you and frowned. ‘Aish, what will it take for you to notice me, huh?’ He looked at Minhee.

Minhee smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. He sighed and gave her a small smile. ‘Hopefully, everything is gonna turn out well later.’ He looked at you and became nervous. ‘I hope it will.’

You, on the other hand, noticed that Minhee’s thumbs-up gesture was for Zelo. ‘Oh my God, Minhee likes Zelo, too?!’

=====

 

You rode on the bus with Minhee after school. You can’t help but feel that something is different with her today. Then, you suddenly heard some low giggling noises. You looked at her. “Minhee…why the hell are you giggling like an idiot?”

She giggled again. “Nothing.”

You frowned at her. “Best friends shouldn’t keep secrets from each other.”

“Awwwww…don’t be mad, ok? Just don’t mind me.”

You remembered what happened that morning. “Is it because of Zelo?” You cautiously asked, praying she’d say ‘no’.

Her eyes widened and she covered her hand with . “OMO, how did you know?!”

You felt like you were slapped in the face. You bit your lip. “Forget that I asked.” Then you forced a smile on your face.

Minhee, on the other hand, was panicking. ‘SHE KNOWS?! Zelo will kill me later if I ruin his surprise…Oh crap.’

 

=====

 

“We’re here!!!” Your best friend happily jumped off the bus while you followed. You frowned a bit. “Minhee-ah, what are we doing here?”

“CELEBRATING VALENTINE’S DAY!” she happily shouted and jumped around.

You chuckled. “I guess avoiding your Valentine’s Day plans and heading back home to sleep won’t be a good choice, huh?”

She glared at you. “Of course not! When you do, I’ll ruin your social life, academic life and most importantly, LOVE LIFE! So DON’T even think of ditching me!”

You held up your hands. “Ok, ok! I get it. Just don’t threaten my academic life.”

“If I don’t, then you won’t take me seriously!”

“When did I ever take you seriously, anyways?”

“YAH!”

You laughed. “Come on, let’s go get something to drink first.” You started walking ahead of her.

Minhee smiled softly. ‘She doesn’t even know what’s about to happen.’ Then, she heard a rumble from the bushes. She laughed to herself and started following you. ‘Zelo’s too clumsy for his own good. I hope he doesn’t blow his cover.’

 

=====

 

“Aish! These bushes are going to bring me my death.” He peeked from the bush and noticed Minhee walking away. He smiled to himself. “They’re here. She’s here.” He started to imagine what would happen later…

 

You walked on the path with your hair gently bouncing on your shoulders. You cautiously stepped into the garden and covered your mouth in surprise. “Oh my God…” you whispered.

Zelo steps out from behind a tree and hands you a bouquet of pink and white roses, which were your favorite.

You lovingly gazed at him and smiled. “Thank you Zelo. They’re pretty.”

“Just what the prettiest girl in the whole universe deserves...”

You blushed in reply. He took your hand and led you to the dinner table where dinner was neatly prepared. He took out the chair like a gentleman and made you sit.

He would pretend to get something and would secretly start a video that will be projected on a white screen in front of you. Once it ends, he will come back and hand you his gift.

You’ll accept his gift and hug him tightly. “I feel the same way, too, Zelo.”

 

Zelo sighed. *The only thing that can ruin this is if she doesn’t feel the same as I do. When that happens, I think I’ll go crazy.* He shook his head. “NO! I MUST THINK POSITIVE!” He quickly jumped up and pumped his fist into the air. “CHOI JUNHONG, FIGHTING!”

The two boys who were eating their ice cream cones had their mouths open.

Zelo noticed that they saw what he just did. *Now, two kids will think you’re stupid.* He bowed in apology and hurriedly ran off.

The two boys blinked a couple of times before they continued eating. The same thing was on their minds, though. *What a weird hyung…*

 

=====

 

You and Minhee came out of the store with fruit shakes in your hands. “What should we ride first, ______?”

You shrugged then saw the roller coaster. “Let’s ride that one!”

And just like that, the series of rides started. After those rides, both of you were tired from shouting and laughing.

You felt someone tap your shoulder. “Excuse me?”

You turned around. The guy was in high school, too, based on his uniform. “Yes?” you asked.

“Is it ok if I take a couple of pictures?”

Minhee butted in before you can say anything. “Sure!”

 

Before you know it, both of you were posing with the huge ferris wheel as your background. The guy clicked his camera a couple of times then looked up. “Is it okay if I take solo pictures of only one of you?”

Minhee flipped her hair. “Sure! Just tell me if when you’re ready and I’ll start posing.”

You rolled your eyes and giggled at the way she’s acting. ‘She obviously likes the guy.’

The guy bit his lip and shyly looked at the ground. “Um, actually I was referring to your friend…” Then, he looked at you.

Your eyes widened as you pointed to yourself. “What? Me?!” You shook your head. “No way…I’m a failure in posing.”

He smiled. “Well, if you can’t, how about going with me to buy some food? You must be hungry after all the posing.” He scratched his head while looking at the ground. “That’s IF you want to.”

 

You looked at how he was acting. ‘I have to admit, he’s a bit cute. He seems nice, too.’ Your smile faded to a look of worry. ‘But how about Zelo..?’

 

Before you can say something, Minhee cut you off. “YAH! Are you trying to hit on my best friend?!”

His eyes widened. “W-what?!”

“Minhee!” You hissed.

She ignored you. “For your information, Mr. Photographer, my best friend already has a boyfriend! Which means she’s not single! Which means you can’t flirt with her, or you’ll have to face the wrath of her boyfriend and most especially, ME!”

His jaw dropped. He looked at you, wanting to ask if all of this was true.

But of course, before you can answer, your best friend cut you to it. “Now, shoo! Go away, before I kick you out of my sight!”

He gulped and ran away.

 

You glared at Minhee and hissed. “Minhee! You shouldn’t have done that! The poor guy was so scared of you! You could’ve said it more politely…”

She scoffed. “You can’t blame me! He was trying to ask you out.”

You frowned. “But weren’t you trying to talk me into liking someone already? This morning, you kept insisting on giving me a love life, but now that I have the chance to have one, you scare him away?”

“I did it for you! Can’t you see that he was so…” Minhee frowned, thinking hard of what bad thing she can say about the guy.

“You’ve got me so confused, Minhee. You even told him that I have a boyfriend even if-“

“But you do have one~!” She whined. Later on, she realized what she just said and quickly covered .

“Minhee, are you hiding something from me?”

“YES! Um, I mean no…” She bit her lip. ‘Zelo’s going to kill me.’ Then, her phone rang. “Hello? Sure, I’ll be there.” She hung up and looked at you. “I’m sorry, _____ but I really have to go.”

“What?! You’re leaving me here by myself?!”

She reluctantly nodded.

You were obviously hurt. “You know what? I don’t think a best friend would just leave her best friend alone in the middle of a gigantic amusement park. A best friend wouldn’t keep secrets from her best friend.“ You deeply looked at her. “I don’t think I can call you my best friend anymore.” You turned around and walked away from her.

Minhee was hurt, too. ‘I’m doing this for her, but why is she taking it the wrong way?!’ Her phone rang again. “Zelo! Ok, ok. I’m coming!”

You stopped on your tracks. ‘She was talking to Zelo? She never told me that he had her number.’ You turned around at the exact moment Minhee started walking into the other direction. “What other secrets are you keeping from me, Minhee?” you whispered and started following her.

 

=====

 

“Minhee! Finally, you’re here!” He looked around and looked back at her. “So, you think she’ll like it?”

She softly smiled. “It’s beautiful, Zelo. I’m sure she’ll like it.”

He frowned. “Did something happen? You look sad.”

“We actually had a fight. She thought I was keeping secrets from her and now, I think our friend ship is over.”

Zelo’s smile disappeared, too. “Don’t worry, Minhee. Everything will work out in the end.” His eyes widened. “But she’ll be coming later, right?”

She nodded. “I’ll do everything to take her here even if it means dragging her.”

Zelo’s eyes widened.

Minhee chuckled. “Ok, ok. I’ll treat her like a princess while leading her here~!” She looked at thewhole setting again. “Wow, this took a lot of effort. You even put pink rose petals all over the ground. There’s even a projector.”

“Want to know how it will all go?” he asked.

Minhee eagerly nodded.

Zelo smiled. “Ok, act like you’re ____, ok?”

She nodded again.

Zelo disappeared behind a couple of trees.

 

Meanwhile, you were lost. ‘Which path did Minhee take? Maybe she went here…’ After a few steps, you saw Minhee in a place with pink rose petals small lights overhead and a candlelight dinner for two in the middle.

 

“I wonder how my first date would be like.”

You chuckled. “Minhee-ah, aren’t we too young to think about that?”

“We’re ten years old, _____. In three years, we’ll become teenagers! It’s about time we become aware of dating.”

You shook your head. “This is why my mother wants me to stay away from you.”

“But you won’t.” She looked straight at you. “Right?”                            

You nodded.

She sighed. “My sister’s first date was spent by the Han river. It was also her birthday at that time. Her boyfriend surprised her with a cake and a pair of couple necklaces.” She looked at you again. “How would your first date look like, ______?”

 

‘Exactly like this.’ You thought and looked at Minhee who seemed to be waiting for someone. ‘Did she do all of this for me? Maybe I’m the one she’s waiting for…’ You started thinking of ways on how to apologize for calling her a bad friend. But then a figure started approaching her and you quickly hid behind a tree.

The mystery guy coughed before looking up. “Hi Minhee.”

Minhee did everything to stop herself from laughing. But you frowned in confusion. ‘Zelo?’

He handed her the bouquet of pink roses and gave her a warm smile.

Minhee smiled. “I never knew you were a good actor, Zelo.”

Zelo clicked his tongue. “You think _____ likes good actors?”
Minhee laughed and Zelo joined in, too.

 

You, on the other hand, misunderstood everything. ‘So, Zelo likes her? All these years of liking him…just to realize he likes my best friend?’ You looked at Minhee. “They both seem to like each other, though. I can’t ruin something like that.’ Your heart began to hurt as tears filled your eyes. ‘I’m not supposed to cry. Stop crying, _____.’

 

You wanted to walk away quietly, but you accidentally stepped on a twig of some sort.

Minhee and Zelo looked at where the sound came from. Their smiles immediately disappeared.

Zelo spoke up first. “_____? How long have you been there?”

You shook your head. “It doesn’t matter. Don’t let me ruin your date with Minhee.” You quickly bowed in apology and ran back to where you came from.

Zelo didn’t have to think twice. He ran after you, determined to make you understand everything.

Minhee looked at where you were standing  a few seconds ago and at the bouquet in her hands. She dropped it and sighed. ‘I hope Zelo can clear things up with her. If not, our years of friendship will be put to waste.’ Tears started falling from her face.

 

=====

 

You kept running. Zelo kept calling you. Still, you kept running.

“_______!!!! Wait!!!”

You quickly looked for a place to hide. You stopped running and looked behind you. ‘Finally, Zelo’s gone.’ But you can’t help but get disappointed after everything. You looked at the huge ferris wheel. ‘One last ride before heading home won’t hurt.’

 

You went to the ticket booth and waited until it was your turn. “One ticket, please.” The lady handed you one and called the next person in line. “How many tickets, sir?” Panting, the guy raised a finger. The lady gave him one and he hurriedly went in line behind you.

 

“Next!” The guy called out and took your ticket. “Alone, miss?”

You were about to nod when an arm was suddenly above your shoulders. Zelo handed his ticket. “No, she’s with me.” A few seconds later, you were riding the ferris wheel with the guy you were desperate to avoid.

“Why are you here, Zelo? Shouldn’t you be  with Minhee right now?”

Despite the very serious problem, Zelo found himself smiling. ‘So this is how she sounds like when she’s jealous?’

You looked at him. “Yah, why are you smiling?!”

He looked at you for a few seconds then pinched your cheek.

“Ow!” You put your hand on your cheek. “What was that for?!”

Zelo chuckled. “You still don’t get it, don’t you?”

You frowned.

“You’re the one that I like. Not Minhee.”

“What?” You asked, not sure of what to think.

“Minhee helped me setup the date which was meant for YOU. It just so happens that I need to practice how I’ll act in front of you, so I told her to act your part.”

The ferris wheel stopped, giving both of you an overhead view of the whole amusement park. You started to understand everything. “I can’t believe it. You…like me?” you asked.

He didn’t answer but instead, took out two packages from a plastic and handed one to you.

You took it and peeked inside. “A waffle.”

He smiled and nodded. “Still remember?”

 

You sat on the swing, swinging it back and forth. ‘What’s taking Minhee so long?’ Then, a ball forcefully bounced on you head, making you fall off your seat.

A boy ran, picked up the ball then went to you.”Hey, are you ok?”

You sniffled but nodded. He helped you stand back up. “I’m very sorry.” He said then noticed the dirt on your knees. He kneeled down and dusted it off your knees.

Your small innocent eyes looked curiously at him.

He stood up and smiled at you. “There, you don’t have dirt on your knees anymore.”

You smiled back then noticed he, too has dirt on his knees. Without thinking, you kneeled down and patted them off.

The boy looked at you and immediately lifted you up from the ground. “Yah! Didn’t I just wipe the dirt from your knees? Why did you kneel again?”

You gave him a sad pout.

‘Cute.’ He thought and led you to a bench beside a waffle stand. “Sit here and wipe the dirt off your knees.” He looked at the waffle stand then back at you.

He went to the waffle stand. The guy looked down at him. “Hey, kid. What flavor do you want?”

He frowned and looked at you. ‘I wonder what flavor she likes…?’ “I’ll take one for every flavor, sir.”

The guy’s eyes widened. “B-but there’s 15 flavors!”

He took out a couple of paper bills and put them on the counter. “Will this be enough?”

 

The guy immediately started preparing the waffles.

 

You just finished cleaning your knees when he came back. He sat beside you and let you see the plastic filled with many waffles.

You looked at him.

He nodded. “Pick.”

“Which one?”

“You can pick anything.”

You took out a waffle. He smiled. “Taste the waffle and try to guess what flavor it is.”

Being obedient, you took a bite. “Hotdog?”

He took the waffle from you and also took a bite. “Yeah, it’s hotdog.”

You took a waffle form the plastic bag and handed it to him. “Tell me what’s the flavor!” you smiled.

He took a bite and chewed. “Cheese?”

You took a bite, too. “It has cheese, but there are also those pink stuff…”

“Ham!”

You smiled. “Yeah, it is ham!” Both of you laughed together.

You took another waffle and tasted it. “This tastes heavenly!” You shouted.

“What flavor is that?” The boy curiously asked.

“Chocolate.”

The boy tasted it, too. He laughed. “It’s delicious!”

“The best flavor ever!” You laughed with him.

Then, both of you took turns in eating the chocolate waffle.

He looked at you. “What’s your name?”

You gave him a sweet smile. “I’m _______.”

He smiled back. “Hi, ______. My name is Zelo.”

 

You smiled. “Of course I do. I actually thought you forgot about it already.” You took a bite from the waffle.

“Guess what flavor it is.”

You looked at him and gave him a warm smile. “Chocolate.”

Zelo smiled back and shouted. “THE BEST FLAVOR EVER!!!”

You laughed.

He looked at you. “Well, since you practically ruined our date…”

“YAH! Can you blame me for what I saw?! It was YOUR fault you were giving flowers to my best friend!”

‘Definitely jealous.’ Zelo thought. “I think this will be the only time I’ll be able to give you this.” He took out a box and opened it. He removed the ring from the container and showed it to you.

You looked at it then at him. “What…is this?”

He smiled. “Well, it’s obviously a ring.” He leaned to you and whispered. “But it’s special compared to other rings.”

You laughed. “What makes it special?”

“It’s actually a promise ring. When you wear it, it means that we’ll both wait for each other until we get into a relationship. I know that you’re not in a hurry to have a boyfriend, but I’ll wait.”

“How did you know?”

“Your best friend told me.”

‘Minhee. I hope she can still forgive me.’

Zelo laughed and snapped his fingers in front of you. “Stop thinking about your best friend, ok? Tell me if you like me, too.”

You bit your lip. “If I don’t?”

Zelo looked down and was about to keep the ring, but you stopped him. “I like you, too Zelo.”

He blinked a couple of times. “W-what did you s-say?”

You laughed at the way he was stuttering.

“YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE LIKES ME, TOO!!!!!!!!!!” Zelo shouted, making a lot of bystanders look up at both of you.

You laughed harder. “Zelo! Stop acting like an idiot.”

He excitedly took your hand and put your finger through the ring. “I promise I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

He kissed your forehead and deeply looked at you.

 

=====

 

Minhee looked up at the ferris wheel where Zelo was screaming his lungs out. She smiled to herself. ‘I’m happy for you, _____. I wonder when I’ll meet a guy that I like…’

“So, she really does have a boyfriend.”

Minhee looked at the guy beside her. Her eyes widened. “You’re Mr. Photographer, right?”

The guy smiled and looked at his camera. Then he looked back at Minhee. “By the way, my name is Chen.”

“I’m Minhee.” She smiled back.