Yuri’s POV

 “Oh, I didn’t know we had female company,” a guy remarked from behind the other three.

The others all turned their heads to see what I was seeing: an incredibly hot guy standing in the middle of the room with only a towel wrapped around his waist, his red hair wet from the showers and water glistening on his chest. Damn . . . those abs.

He smiled a friendly smile at me and I swear I nearly kneeled, blown away by his adorable smile.

“You’re Joon hyung’s sister?” he said in a cute yet deep-ish voice. “I’m Bang Cheolyong, or Mir, the maknae of the group. Your name is Yuri, right? Your brother told us.” He’s the maknae and his voice is so incredibly y?

Whoa, unbelievable!

I nodded mutely, lost for words.

Mir smiled widely. “I’ll change first,” he said to his hyungs but he never once took his eyes off me. I saw a scowl on my brother’s face. “Nice to meet you, Yuri. Your brother never told me how beautiful you are.” He bowed. “I hope to be able to get to know you in the future.” He went up the stairs.

“Yah, Mir, don’t hit on my sister!” Joon called to him. We heard a chuckle coming from up the stairs and he shook he head. “That Mir ah . . .”

I blushed and immediately looked downward. My brother was still scowling. The others all exchanged amused glances from the corner of my eyes.

Did they suspect something was going on? Am I being too obvious? Suddenly I felt someone taking my elbow and I jumped in shock, only to realize that Joon was looking weirdly at me. I smiled sheepishly at him. “Yes?” I asked, hoping to cover myself.

“Nothing, never mind,” he replied but he was still giving me funny looks.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Did he know that I was checking his friend out? Omo, that is so awkward!

“Why don’t you sit down,” Seungho offered to me, gesturing to the empty sofas. Cheon Doong and Byunghee sat down on an armchair each and he was sprawled lazily on the beanbag.

I sat down next to my brother on the white sofa while we all waited for Mir to come down so we can go to wherever they want to go today. I studied each and every one of them, taking note of everything and trying to analyze things.

Seungho had plump lips and soft eyes. He was quite tall and had broad shoulders. Byunghee had a slightly skinner frame with honest eyes and a friendly smile. Cheon Doong seemed to be the quiet one among the others with that shy smile and bright eyes.

I have a feeling I’d like them. They seemed like the kind of friendly people that people would love to just be friends with.

“So, Yuri, how do you feel, knowing that Joon is your brother?” Byunghee asked me, making a conversation, and all heads turned toward his direction. “He’s very annoying, right?”

“Yah!” Joon protested.

I looked at my brother and back to him, shrugging. “He’s okay, I guess,” I started to reply slowly. “I don’t know. I just met him yesterday. Why don’t you ask me this question again after a few weeks?”

Byunghee and Cheon Doong both roared with laughter while Seungho patted a crestfallen Joon on the back in a teasing way. “It’s okay,” he said teasingly. “There, there. You will be all right.”

Just then Mir came out with a plain black shirt and jeans. He smiled brightly. “I’m ready.”

Seungho looked up. “Finally,” he said, shaking his head. “It took you long enough.”

He just smiled at me and I felt butterflies at the pit of my stomach again as I forced a smile back. Gah, why do I feel like this?! “Can I give Yuri a tour around here?” he asked.

“No,” Joon immediately answered the same time I replied, “Sure, why not?”

We looked at one another.

“We don’t have much time,” Joon explained to me even though I have a feeling that that was not the real truth to why he refused to let Mir take me on a tour at his house.

Mir’s mouth twitched with annoyance and I know he knew as well. “All right, another day then,” he said, trying to look at the bright side.

Another day? I hope so.

We walked out and decided to take two cars to the destination. The only problem is — who will follow who in whose car? Finally they decided they’ll take Joon and Seungho’s car. Now, who follow who?

“I’ll go with Yuri and Joon hyung,” Mir spoke up almost at once. Without waiting for a reply, he made his way to Joon’s car. He pulled on the door handle but it was locked. He frowned and looked up to see all of us staring at him in disbelief.

Joon looked suspiciously at him. “Why were you so quick to jump in a ride with me? And who says I will let you? Why can’t I choose the others?”

Mir shrugged and tried to use aegyo on him. “Aww, please?” he begged with wide eyes and pouting lips. He looked like Puss in Boots with his flaming red hair. I had to admit, it was cute.

“No.”

“Wae?! I promise I’ll be good! I’m always good! I have never been in your car before.”

“That is lie.”

“I have not sit in your car as much as I have at the other car!”

“Talk about a hundred and eighty degree turn,” my brother grumbled.

“Pleeeeaaaassseeeee,” Mir begged. “The other car stinks.” He grimaced.

“Yah!” Seungho protested, clearly offended.

Mir ignored him, turning back to my brother. “Oh, just this once,” he urged, clasping his hands together. “Please, with cherries on top?”

“I hate cherries.”

“Hyung!” he whined.

My brother sighed, indicating that he agreed to let Mir come along with us. “Fine, but you’re sitting at the backseat. Yuri, you’re sitting in front.”

“Okay . . .”

Seungho shrugged, pleased with the arrangement. “Then I guess this means Cheon Doong and Byunghee are following me in my stinky car,” he said, shooting a glare in Mir’s direction, and we all went to our respective cars and Seungho and Joon both pulled out of the driveway on to the road.

It was awkwardly quiet in the car. Joon’s gaze was fixed on the road. I didn’t want to look back at Mir to let him know I wanted to look at him. And Mir was quiet at the back. Suddenly after about ten minutes, Mir poked his head between Joon and I and smiled at me from the back. “Yuri, which school will you be going?” he asked me.

I shrugged, frowning thoughtfully. “I’m not sure,” I replied. “My parents are enrolling me to . . .” I tried to remember the name of the school they told me that I was going to attend. Oh yea. I told him the name of my school.

“I go to that school too!” he said excitedly. “That is so cool! We’re going to be in the same school! Well, except for the fact that I am already in my last year.”

I smiled. “Hey, at least I know someone, even if you aren’t in the same year,” I told him.

He smiled again and I felt my stomach doing a lot of somersaults. I looked away from his intense gaze, my face getting hotter by the second. Why is he so cute? It’s not helping me think straight.

Whoa, girl. What are you doing? Have you forgotten about Woo Chul?

Speaking of which, I wonder how he and everyone else are feeling right now. Is he worrying about me? Is he wondering where I am? Would he be freaking out by now that he can’t contact me from anywhere? And will he be frustrated when he realized I have deleted my Facebook account because Annie Tan simply does not exist anymore?

I began to feel bad and looked out of the window to avoid stares. I felt immensely bad. I didn’t want to hurt him. This is so unfair.

Mir’s POV

Yuri was frowning and I could have sworn I saw tears in her eyes. Was she, by any chance, possibly be missing her friends from China? I know how she felt. I’ve been through that situation before. It’s not very nice.

“It’ll be okay,” I told her softly and she turned to look at me.

“Bwoh?” she asked blankly.

I smiled reassuringly at her. “It’ll be fine,” I repeated and I reached out to take her hand, squeezing it lightly. She smiled and it gave me butterflies. “You’re thinking about your friends, right?”

She nodded, a little surprised to hear that I know what she was thinking about. “How did you guess?” she wanted to know.

I shrugged. “I’ve been through your situation before so I know how you feel.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Joon chimed in, wanting to be part of the conversation. “Mir was from the country-side,” he explained to his sister.

She looked surprised and intrigued to hear that. “Oh, chincha?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I am. It was weird at first when I moved here, you know, because of the huge difference between the city and country-side. At first I was very . . . reluctant to like the city but now I love it. It’s part of me, it’s what made me who I am today.”

Joon snorted. “So corny,” he chortled and I frowned unappreciatively at him.

Yuri whacked her brother on the shoulder. “Yah, don’t be mean! What he says is true!”

I smiled hugely after that. She supported me! She was on my side.

Joon just rolled his eyes, scoffing, and turned his eyes back onto the road and we lapsed into silence again. Yuri was really quiet. Is she normally like this? How am I going to get to know her if she was so quiet? I will have to try my hardest to get her to open up to me. She seems like an interesting person to know.

And she’s really pretty.

Finally we arrived at our destination: the park. On most days I would be bored at the idea of spending the day at the park. After all, I have a feeling that the others would all want to play soccer. But with Yuri here, I wonder what the boys have in mind for us today.

Yuri’s POV

After the entire day at the park just playing soccer and playing hide and seek (childish, I know, but it was seriously fun), we all decided to retire back to Mir’s house where he said that his parents were making a meal for us to eat for dinner. I found out that they were all very friendly, very funny and very easy-going. Even Cheon Doong, who I thought was quiet, was exceptionally loud and funny. I had a great time.

At dinner, Mr’s mom kept gushing about how pretty I was and told me to take note of the food she prepared for us that night. “They are all Mir’s favorite food,” she told me with a small wink.

I blushed. I glanced over at Mir who was blushing as well. “Umma,” he complained.

Mrs. Bang just waved her hand dismissively. “Why can’t you faster grow up and give me grandchildren, my son?” she asked. “I am getting older each day. I want to see little children running around my house before I die.” She grinned at me shamelessly.

Mir squirmed in his seat and the rest of the guys did not stop making fun of him. It was mean, but I guess it was funny at the same time. Except for the fact that Mrs. Bang kept trying to hint to me what Mir likes. Does she suspect something?

Wait, what am I saying?

Lee Yuri, are you saying that you might possibly have developed feelings for Mir? You just met him! Sure he is cute and funny but what about Woo Chul? You can’t just forget about him like that!

Aish . . .