“So, how was the date?” Kibum asked playfully as he sat on her bed that Sunday morning, ready to help her out once again.   “It was good,” Hyunmi tried to answer casually. There was no way she would go into the details about Woohyun protectively holding her in the bus, how the remark about her lipstick had her heart flutter, or how they ended up holding hands throughout the entire movie. Even as the movie was finished, he didn’t mention about letting go, so she pretended not to notice either. Thinking about it again made her face flush.   “That’s all?” Kibum asked, totally not convinced, but knowing he wouldn’t get anything even if he pried further. “Alright. Time for your real date now. I guess you’ll have to wear something even cuter.”   Hyunmi wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She remembered seeing the shock settle on Woohyun’s face at her transformation, a combination of awe and disbelief. A part of her wouldn’t mind dressing up just to see that reaction again. And another part of her felt some sort of guilt if she were to try harder for some guy she barely knew.   “Ooh, this is cute!” Kibum pulled out one of her plaid skirts, something he hadn’t noticed over their video call yesterday.   “Um,” Hyunmi began, fiddling her fingers. “Can I not wear a skirt today?”   Kibum abruptly turned to her, eyes narrowed. “Why?”   “B-Because,” she unconsciously twirled her hair while avoiding his gaze. “Woohyun said I shouldn’t expose too much skin.”   This surprised Kibum who was unable to suppress his grin. “Is that so? And why would you comply with his demands?”   “Because he’s my best friend. I need to respect his opinions, you know,” Hyunmi said the best thing she could come up with on the spot.   “Ah, for a sec I thought you didn’t want to make him worried or jealous,” Kibum sang, returning the plaid skirt to her wardrobe. “Why don’t you just cancel this entire date? I bet Woohyun would be happy if you did.”   Honestly, the thought did cross her mind, but coming up with excuses meant she had to see Baekhyun another time. And she needed to return his blazer anyway.    “I can’t. I already promised to meet up,” she said. Was it wrong to be more excited about the mock date with Woohyun than the real one with Baekhyun? Maybe she was just nervous.   “Fine, but limit it to a first date. If he asks you out again, just say no,” Kibum sternly told her. “I don’t want to babysit a sulking Woohyun again.”   “Woohyun’s sulking? Why?” Hyunmi asked.   Kibum let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. “How can you get good grades all the time when your brain works like this?”   “Hey!”   “You figure it out,” Kibum said, looking into her wardrobe. He pulled out a ruffled top with high waist black pants. “Wear this. That should meet Woohyun’s requirements, right?”   ***   Baekhyun did not live in the same neighborhood, so they decided to directly meet up at the cinema. She still took an earlier bus to avoid looking like she sprinted during a marathon.    As the vehicle made some sharp turns and passed the same bump road as yesterday, Hyunmi found herself swaying along despite having grabbed on the pole. If only Woohyun were there, he’d hold her steady, preventing her from being swung around. He’d keep her safe.   No. What kind of thought was this? Why would she need to be so dependent on him? Why was she even thinking of him in the first place? Why was her heart racing like it was a big deal? She must be out of her mind.   When the bus reached her stop, she quickly got off, trying to think of anything but her best friend. This change of environment should help. The exact same environment where she had grabbed Woohyun by the hand and pulled him to run along to the cinema. The exact same environment where she nearly tripped on her heels if he hadn’t been there with his quick reflexes to hold her in time.   “What’s wrong with me?” Hyunmi questioned herself, surprised by her trail of thoughts. Maybe things will go back to normal if she saw Baekhyun, so she hurried her steps to their meeting point. But she had arrived fifteen minutes too early, so she sat down at a nearby bench outside. Hopefully it was enough time to calm her heart and refocus her mind.   “Hey, are you all by yourself? Why don’t you come with me?” An unfamiliar voice called out after a few passing minutes. A hand grabbed her by her shoulder.   Hyunmi’s heart jumped, wondering whether it was a kidnapper. “Sorry, but I’m waiting for—” she looked up, surprised to see Baekhyun grinning down at her instead.   “Did I scare you?” He asked cheekily.   “I thought you were a kidnapper!”   “Technically, that wouldn’t be wrong,” Baekhyun said, swiftly shifting himself to sit beside her. “I’m kidnapping you for the day.”   “Ah, so it’s not a date, but a kidnapping stunt?” Hyunmi played along. She couldn’t help but study his appearance—a very youthful look compared to how Woohyun dressed yesterday. Baekhyun wore a loose shirt with some branded hat to cover his messy hair. It fit him, though she had no doubt that Woohyun would look good in it too.   “Exactly. I was going to lure you with a movie,” he said, holding two tickets up in his hand. “You like action?”   It was the exact same movie that Woohyun predicted he’d choose, and Hyunmi was glad they went with the tearjerker drama yesterday. If she hadn’t been too focused on the hand holding, she probably would’ve teased Woohyun for nearly crying during the .   No, wait. This was not the time to think about him.   “You’re giving me a lot of freedom for a supposed kidnapping attempt,” she said.   “It’s my first time. Go easy on me,” Baekhyun replied, holding out a hand. “So, ready to watch?”   “Sure.”    It would be rude not to accept his kind gesture, so she let him help her get to her feet.    She had never held anyone else’s hand before that the feeling of it was quite fascinating. She thought it would feel the same as holding Woohyun’s hands, an action she had done far too often to the point she had unconsciously gotten used to it. But she was wrong. The feel was different. The way Baekhyun clenched his fingers around her was different. How could one small touch cause her to observe so much? Even as he let go afterwards, the different feeling still lingered.   “Do you wanna get something?” Baekhyun asked, looking at the menu of snacks.   Even the simple question caught her off guard, and Hyunmi wondered whether Woohyun had been pampering her. He would know what to get her even without asking. Which was really unfair to expect from Baekhyun, a guy she had only met once.   “Popcorn and iced lemon tea,” she answered.   “Is the salted one okay with you? The caramel is way too sweet for me.”   “Sure.”   Hyunmi had always preferred the caramel one, and Woohyun always went along with it. He always catered his taste to hers because she was the picky eater. Anoth