A/N: With Min, we refer to Min from Miss A, not Minji. As with my other works, this is written in a stream of consciousness style quite similar to a dramatic monologue where the narrator can be likened to talking to an audience

Min had told me to meet with her the following day, Saturday, to further discuss her not-so-little predicament. To say I was surprised, was a severe understatement. It still puzzled me why she would come to me, of all people, to confide this little issue of hers with. She had seemed to be desperate for this as well, and I was left without a choice but to agree with her. I stood here next to the fountain in the middle of the open area of the mall, waiting for Min. Why she wanted to meet here, I never really questioned anymore.

It was, to put it simply, a nice day. The sun was overhead, but it wasn't too warm for summer just yet. Clouds were looking a lot like cotton candy floating in the sky, and the wind was just right. It was a perfect day to sit back and write about a riveting adventure story. This week’s homework just flashed back into my mind. For the last few meetings, Ms. Amihan had been revisiting the elements of fiction and we had been drowned in reading assignments. She says, that if you want to write, then you have to read as well, and that was exactly what we have been doing: reading. I never thought I'd actually miss the actual act of writing for class from reading too much.

We had been talking about characters this week, and according to Ms. Ami, to create a character is to fashion a person from birth. Even before birth to firmly establish a character as a real life person your readers would come to care about. There had to be believable motives and character faults.

Exactly like real life.

I sighed. What the heck was that supposed to mean anyway?

I checked my watch- I wasn't meeting Min until 2:00pm, and it was only a little after one. I shifted my weight from my right leg to my left, I wasn't tired, or getting impatient. I was getting bored.

My phone vibrating in my pocket served as my saving grace and I pulled it out thankfully, chirping a hello into the receiver as soon as I saw who was calling. “Taec, whats up?”

“Where are you, right now?”

“At the mall,” I replied, not even taking a moment to think any more about his sudden question.

“Great, wait for me by the big fountains okay? I'll be there- count to a hundred.”

I stared at Taec's self-taken picture on my phone; what did he just say? Did he just ask me to count to a hundred? I am not counting to a hundred.

75 counts later, Taec actually did arrive, looking slightly winded and out of breath as if he just run all the way there.

“Hi?” I said, hesitantly.

“Hey,” he heaved, crouched with one hand on his knee, and the other raised and directed at me. “Give me a moment, I came all the way from the other side,” he said in between breaths.

I patted his back until he calmed down, and when he did (this took a few more moments), he finally stood to his full height again, and grinned. “How far along were you counting?”

“75.”

“Cool. My mom's trainer was right. I'm getting better at this,” he beamed.

Taec's mom's trainer. Taec's idol. The only other guy Taec looked up to aside from the men in his family. I don't even let my thoughts linger on that topic any longer. “Did you need me for something other than timing your...run?”

“Yeah, it's Jay's birthday on Monday, let's go get him something as a welcoming present to our table.”

Excuse me?

“Taec...” I said, using my voice of reason...voice. “Jay...he's not...I mean...”

“You were the one who invited him to our table in the first place.”

“I know that, but...” But what? What exactly was Jay to us? He lunched with us, yes. But...were we friends? Did we consider him as someone we would call out during the weekends to hang out with? Was he someone we'd bother for personal issues, or for no reason at all? Jay was Jay, and that was really it...

“Come on, I can't reach Junho's phone, and Minji won't pick up. It's just you and me,” he said, matter-of-factly.

If I continued to resist any longer, Taec was sure to use his aegyo powers on me, and I was already very much scarred for life from the last instance he resorted to using it against me. “Fine, but I have to go see Min at 2 today.”

He shrugged. “Min can come along.”

Ah. Well. I wasn't so sure that was such a good idea given the circumstances of Min asking me out here, I'm actually surprised Taec hasn't-

“Why are you even meeting with Min?”

...asked. Apparently I assumed too soon. How exactly was I going to explain meeting with Min to Taec when I myself really didn't even understand the whole situation. Then again...Taec could be of some help. I think. If Min was willing to have him along...

Taec looked at me expecting an answer I didn't have with me. There really wasn't anything else I could do at the moment especially now that Taec was sure to not let this issue go until he was satisfied with an explanation I didn't know how to give. In other words, I was stuck with Taec, and soon I’ll be stuck with Min as well.

“Will you at least wait for Min with me?”

Min arrived exactly at 2:00pm, and the expression on her face was not the sweetest when she saw Taec with me by the fountains. She came walking in, and I knew it was her immediately by her orange shorts and distinct high-top shoes. Min looked hesitantly at Taec, they weren't exactly close, though they did go to the same middle school, just never in the same crowd. I wasn't aware of any animosity between them, just...awkwardness.

“Hey Min...” I started, my voice already apologetic. “Uhm...Taec, he...uh...” Great. Stutter and appear guilty as charged.

“Hi Min, I didn't know you two had plans when I saw her,” Taec helpfully supplied.

Min just shrugged, the hesitant look still on her face. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to actually choose? Min, who had gone out of her way to ask help from me even though we weren't particularly close, or Taec who had been the closest to a best friend I had? Ugh.

“I...I guess it's okay...” she said. “It's okay, right?” She turned to me with a really helpless look on her face, and I caved.

“Taec...he won't tell anyone, I promise. You can trust him,” I assured her, and I could see Taec from my periphery looking very curious.

Min nodded and looked over at Taec who towered over her. “Okay, it's okay, I'll trust him too.”

I breathed a sigh of relief at the eventual turn-out. This was a good thing right? Everyone getting along was a good thing. After a few more moments of awkward silence, Taec finally broke out into a grin.

“So what exactly are you two doing? Are you sure it's okay I tag along?” he suddenly asked.

Min smiled at him and nodded. “Yeah, it's cool. What were you planning on anyway?”

“We were going to get Jay a gift for his birthday.”

And again we were back to that. Jay...what were we going to do about Jay? Taec had gestured us to lead the way, and Min started walking, and the two of us followed her. This was not going to be easy. Not in any way at all. Unless...

“Min,” I said, lightly touching her shoulder. “Maybe Taec can help you more than me.”

Min was everything and skeptical with that last suggestion I had made, and really, who could blame her. She shrugged in defeat, and I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. It was her own doing after all that got her into this situation she was now in, and now she had to face the consequences. However, I was not that heartless, and a solution had instantly presented itself to us.

I turned to Taec who walked right next to me. “Hey, let's stop over your place today,” I said.

“Sure, but the whole clan is there today, are you sure? I don't mind, and I'm sure my parents won't mind, they like you more than they like me, and I'm pretty sure noona does too.”

I saw Min’s face light up with instant realization. Thank you, she mouthed, and I smiled gently at her, rather proud of myself.

“So if we're gonna do this...whatever at my place, then I guess we can go on and get Jay his gift?”

Min looked at us funny, moreso towards Taec than me. Taec was weird like that. For some reason, he liked getting people gifts and many times I told him it was unnecessary, even more for Jay with Jay being, well, Jay.

“Do we really have to?” I whined. “I don't think he'd appreciate us doing that.”

“But it's his birthday,” Taec replied, outwhining my whine.

I heard Min laughing, and we both shot her a look. “I didn't know you two were so cute.” She chuckled.

Cute?

“I didn't even think you two were this close, we always just thought you guys lunched together because you didn't have a choice,” she continued.

I was not expecting that. We entered the mall proper and started looking around. Min said she'd tag along and maybe even help out with getting Jay's gift. I repeat, I still thought this was unnecessary, but Min had suddenly sided with Taec, and majority wins. Always.

We stopped by a couple of shops since Taec really didn't have a concrete idea of what he wanted to get Jay. We didn't really know anything about him aside from what his public records said about him. Not even Seulong and Changmin had managed to get any more information about him. Why exactly it was that Taec even wanted to buy him a birthday present when Jay harassed him the first time they met was utterly beyond me.

And I proceeded to tell Taec exactly my thoughts on it. “Why are you even bothering? I honestly don't think he'll appreciate the effort Taec. In case you're forgetting, he collared you on his first day, and you do not return that gesture with a gift.”

“But it's his birthday, and we're all friends now.” Was Taec's simple reply. There was really no point in arguing with him as much because Taec could be as stubborn as he needed to be. Why he even considered Jay a friend I don't even want to know anymore. “And he's your friend too.”

I did not appreciate that last addition.

Min kept her amused face the whole while we scoured the mall for a remotely appropriate gift for our new friend. We’d been walking for almost two hours, when a gasp from Taec signalled the end to our search. We followed him into this hoodie shop, and Taec emerged from the racks with a pink hoodie in his hands.

“Taec, it's pink,” I told him.

“It's so cute!” Min squealed. She was not helping either. “This would look great on him,” she added.

No, no, no. Not pink, please. “Do you guys want him to hate us? It's pink!” I said again, maybe they didn't hear me the first time.

“What? Tough guys wear pink.” Taec grinned, and I knew there was no more winning against that argument.

Taec headed to the cashier and paid for his purchase, asking for the counter lady to have it gift-wrapped too, telling her to sign it from all our names from our table, including Min as well. It was a nice gesture, and I could tell Min was touched somewhat by this. It was nice, yes, but I was still dubious Jay would even look at the hoodie. It was pink for heaven's sake. Pink.

After our little field trip to the mall, Taec called his driver to have us picked up from the mall's main entrance. We reached his mansion in no time, and I just knew Min was very impressed with the Ok Hanok. The Ok ancestral house was fit to be a national treasure as it was traditional in all senses of the word. It was this reinforced wooden house with a traditional landscape flower and tree garden leading up to the front porch where several staff hands were seen coming in and out of the sliding doors with trays of snacks and other refreshments.

“Taec you live in a museum!” Min exclaimed as we stepped out of the van.

“Yeah, my mom likes it this way. Just like the old house in Busan,” Taec replied flatly.

By now he was used to hearing all sorts of things about his house, he definitely got an earful of it from me and Minji when we visited him for the first time. We followed Taec into the receiving area, leaving our shoes in the small area provided. Just as Taec had said, a good number of the Ok clan members were in the room, and both Min and I paid our respects as Taec introduced us. His mom and sister immediately greeted me, both giving me a hug while exchanging hellos and how-are-yous.

“Don't worry, the Oks are overly nice people. They're kinda like Taec, only Taec seemed to get the short end of the refining stick,” I whispered to Min who stifled her laughter. It was true to a certain degree. Taec's mom and older sister had been constantly reminding me to remind Taec not to crouch when he walked or just stood, to help him out in the fashion department, and convince him to finally get rid of his glasses, all to no avail. Taec was incredibly comfortable as he was, and I doubt he would be as fun if he were to suddenly be like the other robots high class families produced.

One of Taec's cousins approached us, and I sensed Min tense up next to me.

“You remember my cousin Seunggi, right?”

Lee Seunggi, how could I ever forget you. He was arguably one of Taec's best-looking cousins, well-mannered, smart, and like the men of the Ok clan, he was a gentleman in all senses of the word. He was every mother's dream son-in-law, and I had so much plans for him.

I quickly caught Taec's eye and gestured for an emergency meeting. We excused ourselves, and made our way to Taec's room at the southern end of the large house.

Unlike the rest of Taec's house, his room was very modern and very messy with gadgets and clothes scattered everywhere. “So?” he asked as he slid the door close.

A deep breath, and I turned to face Min. “Do you tell him, or do I?”

Min was fidgety again, but she nodded. “You do it.”

“Min needs a boyfriend.”