He persuaded me to get in his car. 

If my oka-san knew about this, she'd be having a field day right now, possibly contacting the police and oh, talking to his parents. If I were in any other situation, I would've avoided her at all costs, just to stay away from the embarrassment and fighting. However; I seriously wanted to hear her voice, I wanted her to call the police and talk to Minho's parents, because I didn't have any idea how this night's going to end.  Why me?

  I've watched movies with similar events; first, the two hit it off, making light jokes alongside awkward conversations, then someone suggests that they go out, making it seem as if he or she were completely innocent, finally, that person does something drastic like murder or . Babo's about to me. I could just feel it. 

"You okay?" He asked, breaking me away from my reasonings, turning his head toward me, while tightening his grip on the leather-covered steering wheel. I forced my mouth to curve upward, to avoid any other strange notions. I had to plan my escape now, just in case he tried to do anything idiotic. What was I kidding, we were probably on our way to some sketchy location already. Maybe a little clearing out in the woods or a warehouse, that's what happens in the dramas- almost every time. 

"Where are we going?  I questioned, keeping my eyes fixated on the dimly lit streets of Incheon. Don't get me wrong, the night life was radiant and lively, but I noticed something new, something calming. Or, it might just be because I've never been out this late. My moment of freedom was inturrupted when a singular phrase escaped his mouth: "Cheongdam."

"Nani?" I rolled out in my mother-tongue. "You can't be serious," I laughed in an almost teasing manner. Teasing yet fearful. I didn't want to go near Cheongdam-dong during the day, so, I definitely didn't want to go now. "Why don't we just head back to Krystal's?"

"Live a little," he shrugged. Like I wasn't already. "You don't even like Krystal," he suggested, a certain confidence lingering in his vocals.

"You don't know who I like," I scoffed, squirming slightly in my seat, "We don't even know eachother."

"That's where you're wrong, sweetheart."

"Oh. I wouldn't be too cocky," I glared at the brown eyed idiot. "You don't know a thing about me. I think we covered this before." We did, and it felt like hours ago. 

"I know more than you think, sweetheart." He began to push on my nerves with that name. If he calls me sweetheart again.. "You're the lowest in the class," he stated as if it were a plain fact. 

"You're a mixed breed," he also pointed out. It was true, but his wording made me want to drop kick him in the face. The last time I checked, I wasn't anywhere close to being a mutt. "And, a good girl." He smirked at the last park as he turned into a seemingly uninhibited strip of land. I made a face, taking note of my surroundings- barren cottages, dust and debris.

"Cheongdam my ," I mumbled, ignoring his trivial utterance. The bright city lights melted away in the moonlight as we traveled further. I couldn't help but think about , again. It's a serious possibility. Guys like Choi Minho loved . That's what his girlfriend used to brag about.  "Where are we really going?" 

"How many times do we have to go over this?" 

"Well, until I see civilization, you'll have to deal with it," I ridiculed, my palms becoming a bit clammy. "This doesn't look like the fashion district to me," obviously.  

"This," Minho reckoned, emphasizing the phrase, "Is the shortest way out of Incheon."

"You could've taken the highway," I suggested. 

"Where's the fun in that?" He beamed. There is no fun in any of this.

"Aish," I placed my index fingers to my temples. "You give me anxiety." I could practically feel the bile building up in my stomach and I was sweating. Sweating is never fun. "First you force me to go on a drive with you-" 

"I forced you?" He stopped me mid-sentence, a sarcastic grin plastered upon his mouth. "You agreed." 

"I didn't agree-" 

"But you did." 

"Oh, but I didn't." I counter argued. He may not have physically forced me, but I didn't have a choice. It's do or die- or ugh. 

"I haven't touched you at all," he retorted, "If I wanted to, I would've done it by by now." 

"Shut up," I moaned, "I've only known you for an hour, and I can already tell you're a ." 

"I've known you since Kindergarten, and I can already tell you're a pain." 

"I hate you," I said after a short pause at a stop sign, "I hope you know that." 

"I was messing around," he released his grip from the steering wheel to raise his hands in surrender. "You seem, different." 

"Different?" That wasn't necessarily a good thing. 

"I don't know. You're not like Jin Ri," he uttered in a more serious manner, comparing me to Sulli. 

"Should I feel offended?" I laughed. People worshipped girls like her, the Jung Sisters, and Yoona. 

"No," he merely implied, "It's cool." 

And, with that, we continued to travel in silence. A comforting silence, at least that's what I told myself.

.

.

.

.

It took forever to get to Cheongdam-dong, but I couldn't complain. This was better than that party.

Every night here was basically a special occasion, which wasn't my cup of tea. I never had enough confidence to be able to be social. I wasn't raised like most of the kids at school, starting with the fact that we were, in their words- poor. On the outside, my Oka-San and I seemed completely and utmost picture perfect, as cliche as that sounds. We managed to have a proper roof over our heads and nice clothing, I'm truly thankful for that. The only thing that strays us apart from them is that she works for their families. Not as an equal employee or business owner, but as a maid, one of the highest-ranked housekeepers in a hundred miles radius. 

"Where to?" I spoke up over the cookie-cutter American pop song bellowing through the internal speakers. 

"Wherever you want, sweetheart." Way to go, Choi. That was one way to kill my vibe.

"Right when I thought we were okay," I shook my head in disappointment. Tsk. Tsk. 

"Still feeling hungry?" I continued as we passed various eateries, each flaying behind me before I could get a closer look. "Because I am."

"Of course you are ," Minho smiled, slowly pressing his foot on the metal pallet to yield the vehicle. 

"I hate you." 

"Aw. I hate you too," he mocked, taking a right once the pedestrian crossing was cleared. Very cute. "Anyways, Hana-sshi, we can go anywhere." Formally cute.

"It's eleven twenty," I squinted at one of the electronic billboards across the street. It displayed the date, time, and weather. 96 degrees. Since when did it get so hot? "We could just go to Lotteria, then head back to the Jung's."  

"That's disappointing," he strummed his fingers on the wheel. "What about breakfast?" 

I nodded at his sudden suggestion, I was feeling a bit hungry. Eating fast food would only make me fat, not fulfill my hunger. "Sure." 

"Alright." 

"Alright?" 

'Yeah,' I heard him breath out. I sincerely hope that this is the last time we ever encounter eachother. You don't just bring a stranger to another city to have breakfast. It wasn't logical. Within a few short moments, he began to speak again. This time mentioning two foreign terms that I couldn't wrap my head around. It was in English, I knew that for sure. Too bad I never bothered to learn it.

"Why do you act so shy?" Minho blurted out, emphasizing 'act.' How does he know I'm acting? Hell, I could just be this straight-forward and timid. But, I couldn't really protest. He was right, after all, I never acted like this around Yoona or any of my other friends.

Minho and I weren't friends before.

Of course I wouldn't be comfortable with him. In his car. In another city.

This is truly pathetic. Since when does this happen in real life?

I responded with a simple shrug, "Who said I'm not?"

"I've known you for thirteen years-"

"It took you thirteen years to attempt to talk to me," I corrected him mid-sentence.

"True." I expected him to leave it at that, but he kept on.

"You never showed an interest an me, though," He reasoned.

"Or maybe you never showed enough interest in me," I paused thinking of a line to continue my phrase with, "To notice that I showed an interest in you."

Take that. "Touche."

"See," I smiled, "I'm always right."

Right?

"Whatever makes you happy," I heard him mumble, turning into a crowded center nearby.

"And, I'm always happy." I detailed, feeling a rush of excitement.

I was excited to leave, that is. Nothing else.

Right?

"Sure you are."

"I'm way happier than you."

"Wait. You had a crush on me?"

"What- no. Shut up, babo."

.

.

.

.

I actually liked it here. The environment was dangerously beautiful. To me, anyways.

"Gomapseumnida," I nodded as a waitress clad in a Western-styled serving apron led us to a quiet both towards the emergency exit. This was nice, considering I've never eaten anywhere outside of Incheon's city limits. The walls were a lighter shade of beige, and covered ina multitude of paintings and photos. The air reminded me of this one bakery I used to go to every Sunday, and freshly brewed coffee. Who doesn't love coffee? Me, but it smells great.

Once we arrived at the small table, I took a seat on the opposite side of Minho, and dropped my bag onto the used fabric. I could feel myself bounce up and down slightly as I shifted to the right. How fun. Without saying a word to eachother, we turned to the waitress, Gyeol Mi, as she pulled out a rectangular, rilakkuma-themed notepad and a plain black pen. "What would you like to drink?" she asked, her eyes widening as she turned to Minho. "Oh," he awkwardly cleared his throat, "A coffee, please."

She thought he was cute. It was so obvious. Her vibrant facade faded when she turned in my direction. "And, you?"

"A water," I answered, trying my best to put on a polite smile. "Thanks."

"All right," Gyeol Mi huffed, glancing at the idiot before me. "It'll be with you shortly." And, with that, the perky brunette her heals to visit another one of her assigned tables.

"So," I swallowed the saliva building up in my mouth, "What's good?"

Awkward.

"Well, Hana-sshi, I usually get the mochi combo platter, but-"

"Sure," I cut him off, "I'll just get that."

"Okay," he grinned, "What ever makes you happy."

"Stop using the same phrase," I demanded, half-jokingly, "You freak me out."

"Whatever makes you happy."

"Who are you?" I groaned. There was no way that this loser could be cool if he weren't rich or pretty.

"Your best friend," Minho yawned, stretching out his arms.

"Sorry, but that position's already taken," I pointed out as Gyeol Mi placed our drinks on te table, along with a plastic straw for me and a cup of creamer for Minho.

"You can have more than one best friend," Minho laughed, taking a sip of his coffee- it was pitch black. He probably liked it strong.

"That's too stressful," I sighed, plopping the straw inside of my glass of water. "Having to keep up with one person is good enough for me."

"You have to 'keep up' with her?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow. I wasn't her babysitter or anything, I just cared for Yoona. We've been best friends since Kindergarten.

"Someone has to wear the pants in the realationship, Choi," I blandly stated, unwrapping the bundle of dinning utensils that were set infront of the salt and pepper shakers. His mouth opened up a bit as if he were going to speak, but nothing came out. Boys are stupid.

"By that I mean, I have to make sure she doesn't burn herself out before we even get to college," I clarified. That's what true friends do. They watch out for eachother.

"She does the same with you?" Minho said. This time he sounded casual. Not like an idiot, or an ahjusshi.

"If she ever had to I'm sure she would," I implied like it was obvious. Best friends do that.

"Yoona's never had to keep tabs on you?" 

"I'm not a kid," I breathed, "I made a promise to her halmaeoni that I'd watch over her, so I have to be the mature one." 

"Reasonable," Minho muttered, stirring his coffee with a spoon. "I wouldn't last a day in your shoes, though." 

"My shoes are comfortable," I teased, gesturing to my rugged pair of purple Vans underneath the table. 

"I can see that," he mused, "But, I've never gave a damn about anyone but family." 

"That's hard to believe," I remarked, sounding more offensive than polite. 

"Haha," he mocked, "I'm serious, Hana-sshi."

"Fine," I said in defense, "You've always seemed so uptight, especially with Sulli."

"I'm a perfectionist," I heard him say, as Gyeol Mi sat another couple in the booth behind me. "Her scenes were annoying."

"So, you kept her on a leash?" I scoffed. I like him even more.

"Jin was okay with it." He still calls her 'Jin Rin,' no one calls her that.

"Why did you even date?" I asked, "She's a ."

"You're a ," he accused in an unserious manner. "She never used to be one. You already knew that." Of course, I did.

"Yeah" I trailed off, not wanting to venture into her. "I guess being popular s you up."

"You're popular," Minho suggested, "In the 'I'm friends with all the right people' way."

"Well, I was friends with them before they became queenkas." My stomach growled for the first time since we left.

"So?" Minho's eyed trailed a nearby waitress- dyed blonde and beaming. "They would've left you behind right then and there."

"I seriously doubt that," I rolled my eyes. These were my friends. Even though they'd rather hook up then book up with me, I know they'd always be there, aside from Sulli, anyways.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I managed to calm myself down before my face turned pink. "What about your friends?"

"My friends are my family," Minho scratched at the nape of his neck.

"So are mine," I retorted.

"They're not," he directly stated. "You wouldn't have been alone if they were."

"You were alone," I brought up, hoping for the topic to drop at any second. But, I kept on adding to the fire.

"Jonghyun was there," Minho continued, "Onew and Taemin were in the back, and Kibum had to help Tiffany with her dress."

"And, you were?"

"Talking to you," Minho groaned, "No more instigating. I surrender." Good.

"Fine," I giggled.

"You almost gave me a headache." Shut up.

"Fine," my eyed searched around the building, "Do you see our server? She's been awol for the past ten minutes. I'm hungry."

"She might be on break," Minho shrugged, "Or-"

 

"Can you track someone down?" I asked, permanently changing the subject.

"Just raise your hand or something," he motioned his arm half way upwards.

"No," I made a face, "Don't do that, ever."

I laughed at his confused facial expression,"Come on, Choi. That doesn't happen in the real world."

"Don't think too much, Hana-sshi," Minho grinned, "I know the owners."

Loser.

"You look cute when you get worked up," Minho grinned.

What?