"I can't believe he's dating now?"

"Well. I always know he's gonna end up with her every since they paired last college week."

"She's really pretty and smart too. No wonder they go along pretty well."

Crack -

I heaved a deep sigh, looking down at my now broken mechanical pen as the girls in the nearly table me continued to gossip and giggle uncontrollably. I must have gripped my pen too hard because of the persistent irritation I was still suffering to - mainly caused by the news that recently hit me in the face like a giant slab of rotten meatloaf.

My eyes glued at the girls sitting at the table next to me, recognizing at least two of them attending the same class as mine. I never actually tried to talk to them ebfore since it's hard for me to get along with most girls. Shaking my head, I tried to focus again on my work. They should have been chattering in the cafeteria, not in the campus park where my only consolation was a lot of people didn't come here very often now since it's winter and they were so distracting. I stared down at my broken pen and half-finished art project I need to pass in my next class.

I muttered a curse, telling myself I should have done this yesterday, not now that I'm cramming to get this thing done.

Instead, I spent my weekend staring at the ceiling of my bedroom, pondering how much time I waste over unimportant stuff then proceed to in playing Tokimeki Memorial Girls, an otome game which I use as a escape to reality that the guy I like will never like me back.

Ever.

I inhaled irritably. This pen should have been Taeyeob's neck.

"But it's a good thing that Yoojung got rid of her. . . . "

I felt a couple of eyes looking at me but I paid no attention and continued to rummage my bag, looking for any spare pen to use. Now, now. They were getting brave to say about me and Taeyeob as they didn't mind lowering down their voices.

Most of the time, I really didn't care what other people say unless it involves another person and they will him or her as well, like Taeyeob, but they were just talking mean stuff about me so it didn't really matter. Those were all crap and untrue anyway.

"She obviously likes him. Look at her, she's so plain. She's even flopping in some of our classes."

"She's crazy to think he's gonna ever date her."

Got it.

Relieved that I finally got one, I checked how sharp the pencil was as I unceremoniously stabbed it in the park table. It didn't break and it penetrated the frail wood quite efficiently. Noticing them still looking at me, I gave them a look. As if on cue, they were quick to scrambled and whispered to each other. The girls that were all chatty a while ago were now looking like gremlins that got wet as they hurriedly left.

Good riddance. I thought. I will finally get some peace.

Sometimes, it just amuses me how people care more about other people than themselves. Like - could you get a life?

A solid thirty minutes of ethereal silence passed and I was feeling good about my sketch as I tried to brush softly the pen I was using against the paper. We were asked to submit a sketch of a place on the campus that we usually like to go to, and I chose this place since this is where Taeyeob and I usually meet - the little forest park in between the arts and literature department.

But I know all good things come to an end.

"Noona, hey!"

I didn't need to look back as that voice had been pestering me for a very long time.

I felt a slight slap on my back when Yongsoo, who looked crazy good-looking with clothes I knew he probably ransacked in Jisung's closet, dropped himself in the seat in front of me, beaming brightly as if he's the light I'd been waiting for in these dark times. He's my junior, but for some reason he skipped respecting me a long time ago and got as casual as he could be.

I was the one forging his permission slips until highschool, if you wanna know why were close and I wasn't really the exact role model he should be hanging out with but anyway. . .

"You know, I'm really not in the mood today to be pestered, Yongsoo." I grumpily told him while carefully sharpening the pencil I unstuck out of the table. It didn't have any scratch which really surprised me, as the lead didn't break. It only needed sharpening. I made mental notes to buy more in case I would be stabbing more tables in the future. Completely ignoring him, I continued to draw in my sketchpad.

"I'm Mill, not Yongsoo." He argued as if he's a three-year old telling that he's not a kid anymore. "Mill? Mmkay? You're still single because you don't listen."

I have no idea what kind of epidemic is happening on the campus that people are now having aliases or screen names. Taeyeob, who's also one of the people who started the trend, is now going with the name Yoojung - saying that he's soft and very feminine-like and 'Yoojung' fits him more as a nickname.

Like how is that even a nickname?

I told him his screen name should be 'Ridiculous', because he's being one.

"I'm single by choice." I sounded rather coolly whilst I glanced at Yongsoo to give him a good look.

"You got dumped, that's why." He fired back.

My eyes turned to slits then threw a good death glare at him. "Don't you have class, Yongsoo?" I enunciated his name carefully which I know would irritate him.

"My class just finished and I'm on my way to your building to see you, but I saw you here being lonely and all emo - anyway. . . " he shook his head then paused for a minute, maybe checking me out how I would react. "I saw Yoojung-hyung with his new girlfriend. She's really beautiful and nice, you know? Hyung introduced me to her this morning."

I pretended not to care but my tone came out rather snappishly, "So, what's your point?"

"You sad, noona?"

I wanted to -slap Yongsoo so bad but he was quick to counter-attack me with his puppy eyes that I only managed to poked his forehead and rolled my eyes. He knew I like Taeyeob, or Yoojung - whatever the heck he wanna be called - ever since I knew the meaning of 'liking someone' so now you know where all these Yongsoo's clowning coming from.

"Yes." I replied without flinching. " Unless you have someone even better than Taeyeob that you can set me up with, you can talk."

Okay.

First of all, that actually came out of nowhere and I was also taken aback by what I just said. You see, the idea of blind dates never really interests me since I usually don't like meeting strangers, then be engaged in a nerve-wrecking and awkward conversation only to find that you don't have anything in common. My hobbies and interests won't have any help either as it is too weird for general public to understand. Plus, I have an unhealthy obsession with 2D characters and let's be real, the normies find that absurd.

Yongsoo burst out laughing as if I said something absurd, which yeah - I did. I just stared at him, dumbfounded. When he finally calmed down, he moved his head closer, motioning he had something juicy to gossip and I should be interested.

"Well, I can talk because I have a guy." He said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone then sat back in his chair and raised a brow, "How did you know I was gonna set you up on a blind date?"

I blinked fast, making sure I was hearing things correctly.

"So you're saying that you're really gonna set me up with someone? Is this a blind date? You know, I usually don't go in those kind of stupid set-ups but I guess there's no harm in seeing someone 'cause I'm single as and - okay, fine. I'm going. ' I said all that in one breath then I gave him my deluxe poker-face I reserve in situations like this - which is every time I'm actually internally screaming in disbelief.

He's gonna set me up with someone? The more I think about it, the more it sounds hilarious.

Looking at him sternly, I tried to decipher those smirks if he's playing jokes on me. Although I always know Yongsoo is one of those people I can really rely on, he's been constantly teasing me after the day Taeyeob told me the biggest news of the decade - which was exactly two days ago.

Yes, the news that wrecked and tore every fiber of my body - Taeyeob dating Yoona, the popular girl of the acting department.

In my head, I was wiping invisible tears and encouraging myself not to cry again.

As we all know, I didn't handle that dating news pretty well. I remembered group messaging people that would be available to go in Noraebang to get myself drunk until I collapse. Yongsoo, being my loyal follower as he owes me a lot, was the only person I knew who volunteered as well as another girl that was in the same department as I was, only in the lower batch: Lee Chaerin, whom he brought along. We shared the same sentiments - guys that were being oblivious and naive as then proceed to ugly cried in front of Yongsoo as he awkwardly sang "You and I were fools". I didn't know much what happened afterwards. Yongsoo told me that Chaerin and I were both dead drunk after three hours of crying and finishing five bottles of soju god knows how we did that - that he called my brother Kyubin and another person to help pick me up.

On the other hand, Kyubin - my older brother who I talked to after having the worst hangover of my existence - commented that if I was feeling bad about the whole Taeyeob dating thing, I should find a rebound, adding the insult that he didn't raise me to be this pathetic.

I'm pathetic, according to my brother who has a dry sense of humor and fails to get women for being weird.

I guess we're really siblings.

However, the idea he gave was actually not bad. Going on a blind date is nerve wrecking for introverts like me but I need to stop this idiocy or I won't recover from Taeyeob-bombs that broke my heart.

"Woah - calm down. Are you sure?" Yongsoo tried to back off as he absorbed all the information I said in one long speech, his mouth hanging open. "I actually don't know what got him into but he found you very interesting and he asked me if you are interested in dating. He obviously saw how devastated you are, yet he's constantly asking me about you - "

I was nodding to every word Mill said until he mentioned 'devastated' that I stopped rocking my head. "What? What do you mean 'devastated'? Me? Devastated?"

He leaned back in the seat and sheepishly looked at me, as if ready to dodge if I'm gonna smack him. "Well, Junji-hyung thinks you're really cute and passionate when you declared that you are so done with Yoojung-hyung nonsense - did you know that you're literally gonna plank in the middle of the street and be run over by a car just to make a point? Good thing Kyubin-hyung dragged you out of the way and dumped you inside his car. Junji-hyung helped."

He narrated the stuff I did after I got really drunk while I was trying to grasp the whole situation that the guy he was setting me up with had seen me in my worst and has guts to be still interested meeting me again. Even though I might as well die in shame since the poor guy already saw how pathetic I am, it should be a good thing right? First impression matters, and that dude probably should be disgusted by me but instead, he's asking me to know each other better.

Is he even normal?

I have no idea where my logic and common sense will lead me but let's just agree on the idea.

As I was deep in thought about this whole dating thing with my two remaining brain cells functioning that I was too late to notice Yongsoo waving someone at my back. There was a very wide nasty grin plastered in his face I felt ominous. "Hyung!"

"Mill!"

I almost flipped out, thinking it was the Junji-person that Yongsoo was greeting. Panicking, I immediately looked back only to see the person whom I didn't wanna meet until I get myself together.

Lee Taeyeob.

In his all-gloriousness.

He was wearing this white turtleneck long sleeve paired with black coat that we both purchased when I asked him to go shopping with me for new clothes (he ended up buying clothes, I bought books). He also recently dyed his hair light brown after I suggested it might look good on him (because I was so sick with his blonde hair), only to my horror, it even made him more drop dead gorgeous that no wonder girls were coming for his throat, like bees flocking in the most beautiful flower in the garden. He parted his hair in the middle, which constantly touches as some of his bangs blocked his eyes while he moved towards us. His graceful movements never missed to make me stare at him with awe, memorizing how his hand swayed and even the way he smiled that making my insides go on full riot.

He looks like someone who came straight out of a Korean drama and the only problem is I'm not the heroine.

Sigh.

I'm really obsessed with him. What the eff.

I went back to drawing or else I will be about to burst into tears for being this pathetic.

"Jini, I've been looking for you since last Friday." He patted and ruffled my head a bit, taking the seat beside me. I could feel my stomach twisting and my heart snaking up to my throat because of his casual gestures that should be illegal now that he's dating.

Does he think that making me feel this way is still valid? How am I supposed to move on, Taeyeob?!

Ugh.

I had made so many comments inside my head but I just nodded.

"I called Kyubin-hyung and he said you're not feeling well. You shouldn't have gone to class if you're still sick, you know?" I couldn't miss in his tone that he's worried about me. I hadn't contact him since he told me he's dating. I'd just seen all his messages and made all his calls go in voice mail.

Again, I nodded without looking at him.

I heard Yongsoo making small coughs in front of me, obviously amused in the torture I was going through. I didn't want to stare back at Taeyeob as my defenses were on the verge of collapsing so I just continued to intently draw in my sketchpad, although my shading was getting darker than it should be.

Then out of nowhere he cupped my face with both of his hands.

My hands froze that I dropped my pen from drawing, hearing the warning bells inside my head telling me I should get off and make him stop, but my idiot self was actually enjoying this skinship.

"W-what the hell are you doing?!" I protested rather weakly that it came like a puff of air.

"You're face is hot." Taeyeob said, oblivious to the fact that he had caused it. He wasn't smiling. He looked rather upset, maybe because he didn't get the attention he wanted from me.

"You don't have to grab my face just to check, you know." I held onto his both wrists and tried to jerk his hands from my face but the guy remained unbothered. I had no choice but to stare back at him because it'd be weird if I continued to avoid his gaze. I managed to show how much pissed I was, but his beautiful stupid face beamed at me so brightly that my dear frail heart was now clinging on the edge.

"You're eyebags gotten big. Have you been sleeping late again?" He moved his face closer to mine but I was quick to push his face back. We now looked like a couple who were smothering each other's faces.

"Get off! Taeyeob!" I managed to wrestled my face out of his hands while he continued laughed heartily. "If you're gonna do that again, I will -"

"You will do what?"

My answer caught mid-air when his face panned closer to me.

Ahh, this guy is really getting on my nerves.

I was about to smack his pretty face but we both heard Yongsoo coughing loudly that we both looked at him.

"Hyung, don't you have class today?" Mill butted in. All in fairness to him, he's still being considerate despite the fact he wanted me to be in pain first. ". . . And this place is too far from your department. How did you know we're here?" He curled his brows to complete the act.

"I skipped class." Taeyeob, who somehow lost his interest pestering me, sat in the seat beside me. He lazily placed his elbow on the table and put his chin in his palm, facing me while answering Mill's inquiry. I was not sure if he's actually trying to provoke me but I just continued to mind my project that's now getting uglier and uglier as minutes pass. I gripped the pen too hard and these idiots were invading my sanctuary as if there were even invited. "I know it's her lunch break and she's always here so I skipped class and went here. I haven't seen her all weekend and I miss her dumpling face a lot."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his eyes were on me and about to reach my cheeks but I was quick to dodge. This person has no idea that he's flirting. He's naive that way.

Lord, please send help.

I continued to look unconcerned. All this pokerface-facade that imprinted in my face muscles since Saturday, I was now reaping the benefits.

Feeling that he's not going to receive any reply from me, Taeyeob turned to Yongsoo, who was just amusing himself by staring how I would respond with Taeyeob's gestures. "You~ We're in the same building, this should be far to you as well."

Yongsoo, now that the attention was on him, stretched. "Hyung, my class is finished so you don't have to nag." He snatched his class schedule just to make a point before he continued talking. "Also. . . " there was this lingering pause that I was not sure he's doing intently, ". . . I'm asking Jini noona if she's interested in going on a blind date. Apparently, someone is interested with her."

Taeyeob's chin almost hit the table after his elbow collapsed following Yongsoo's statement. I couldn't help but to peer at him. He was dazed for a moment. "What?"

"Yeah. Junji-hyung asked me if I could set him up with noona and looks pretty genuine. His exact words were 'she's really passionate and cool, it's cute." He did a chopping motion in the air to emphasize.

My face turned hot.

"Yongsoo, if you don't shut up, I will make you eat this." I motioned the eraser to him which made him stop blabbering, but then he realized that it was just an empty threat so he continued saying cheesy stuff what ever that Junji-person was saying. I was so embarrassed that I just wanted the earth to eat me up alive.

Meanwhile, Taeyeob seemed to be interested with the words coming out from Yongsoo's chatty mouth, ". . . he's really nice and all but I just don't understand how he liked her. People have weird tastes, I guess"

"Well, I always find Jini is charming in her own ways." Taeyeob glanced at me and smiled a bit. "If she opens herself to other people, I think they will find her quite fascinating."

So, why not me? I made a mental reply on what he said as I heard his comments about my impending blind date. It's not news to him that I like him a lot as I had constantly confessed to him and just get rejected every damn time since we're kids. Damn, even his mother was very supportive of me wooing her son but Taeyeob just keeps on answering her excuses.

"We're too young to be a couple."

"I'm a weakling. I couldn't protect myself, how could I even protect her?"

"If we break up, I will lost someone close to me."

"I'd rather remain friends with her because I don't wanna get awkward with Jini."

'She deserves someone better than me.'

"I can't take care of her."

"There's a lot of guy that will be a better man than me."

Like seriously, what the is that?

"I totally understand what your hyung find interesting about her. Tell him, I'm going to support him and if he ever needs to know what she likes, he can approach me." Taeyeob added brightly as if the prospect of me having a date really cheered him up.

This guy is really out there handing me to another man without batting an eye? I bit my lower lip as I accidentally snapped the pencil's lead for sketching too hard.

Getting angry where the conversation was going, I gave my sketch a final look then stuffed everything in my bag. The two were caught off guard from my sudden movements especially when I banged the table and stood up.

"Yongsoo, tell him to text me and I'll go." I gave a last look at Taeyeob but even before I could utter goodbye, he immediately held my hand and pulled it softly. I glanced in our hands that were clasped together.

"Are you mad at me? Why do I have a feeling that you're angry at me?"

I paused, only to hear Yongsoo whistled softly on Taeyeob's sudden reaction. "Yes, so back off." I defiantly answered to his face and tried to pull my hand back but he didn't even budge.

He looked distressed, knowing that I was really pissed at him that he immediately stood up, towering me. "I-I'm s-sorry. I didn't - “His eyes were looking uneasy as he tried to apologize.

I found his grip loosening; maybe he was trying to remember how he exactly made me pissed that I grabbed the opportunity to run away as fast as I could. I didn't bother looking back. I know he wouldn't follow me and I always outrun him ever since.

I'm angry.

How could he say something like that as if it's okay? That I have his blessings to meet another guy?

He always knew that I'm in love with him. I really wanted to punch his face so hard for being so insensitive, maybe it'd make him see some sense.

His obliviousness frustrates me a lot but even that flaw made him so adorable.

God, I really need help.

Getting lost in university for I was just wandering around wherever my feet would lead me, I continued to roam in empty halls, finding solitude in the nearby unlocked rooms. I tried to check the knobs to see I can find security in one, then I successfully opened one.

Rows and shelves of ceramics were displayed in the room - some had intricate designs while others still needed to paint. There were at least a dozen tables in the middle of the room, while I saw a couple of pottery wheel in the far back side of the room. The musky smell of earth and paint surrounded the room but I continued to roam, a bit fascinated as it was my first time being in the pottery room of the university. I heard we had an amazing pottery curriculum, but I hadn't really paid attention to it until now.

I was quick to reach the single row of pottery wheels, staring closely at how the mechanism works. The only pottery knowledge that stuck with me was the scene in "The Ghost" by Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze so it meant I had none. As I walked along the row of wheels, the last one in the left corner near the windows seemed to have available clay in it. From the rest of the pottery wheel, this one looked worn off and older compare to others.

What the heck? I rushed, checking the machine. It looked like someone left it today, and then forgot it completely. Beside it was a small table containing a bowl of water and sponge which I had no idea what's the use.

I looked back in the empty room, but no one was there so my impulsive self sat in the chair in front of the wheel and started to crouch down to see how it the machine works. I tried to touch around the stand of the molding platform, looking for a button or something but my dumb self crouched down further that made the platform turn when I bumped my head on hit.

Ack~

I really should not touch things that I don't know.

I heard footsteps approaching fast in my location that I began to feel dreadful while I continued to squat down. I started to actually pray that whoever that was, I hope it won't catch me - but who am I kidding.

I'm so screwed.

A pair of legs appeared in front of my sight, stopping just opposite to where I was crouching down. Praying for my dear life that I hope that it's not a professor, I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't put the clay on this. I swear!" I pleaded.

For a second, I felt very lightheaded hearing the person who came to me. He had the sweetest and softest voice I heard that I hurried sat to see his face. My jaw dropped as I gaped stupidly at him.

"Uhm, that's a manual pottery wheel so you can't find any switch under that. Are you okay? I heard something knocked around here."

"Hnnggg~"

What greeted me is a tall handsome guy that almost took my breath away that I literally gasped quite louder as it should be. He has long blonde locks that he tried to style in half ponytail reached his shoulder. It was quite messy, as few strands of his hair escaped but he looked even more gorgeous. He had a very feminine and kind face with the aura I was so sure I had seen somewhere.

"Are you okay?" His eyes twinkled and he gave me a half smile.

I wasn't able to answer right away as my eyes travelled down to his shirt; he's wearing a while collared long sleeves that were rolled up to his elbows and also a brown apron with clay marks on it. I knew him. A name automatically entered my mind.

Shiki Mihara, the 2D guy I always choose in the end of Tokimeki Memorial ever since I played that game years ago.

"Shiki Mihara-kun." I softly muttered. I couldn't believe my eyes that I was staring at a real life, breathing and the living embodiment of the otome guy I've been fangirling before. Shiki Mihara was my always go-to 2D guy whenever Yoojung dumped me, just like what happened last weekend.

"I love you so much." I didn't care whatever the eff the uttered. I said it rather spontaneously.

The guy darted his eyes away from me as he gotten embarrassed on what I said. He smiled shyly but then replied. "I have no idea who that is, but you can call me that since you seemed to like him a lot."

My heart fluttered and a stupid smile resided in my face.

"My name is Lee Junhyung, but you can call me Junji. Nice to finally seeing you again, Jini."