This feeling…I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

The alarm clock went off in the living room at exactly 5:23 in the morning.  Minyoung shifted in her sleep, trying to ignore the annoying sounds of the alarm clock.  She rolled to her right out of habit and fell with a thud on the floor.  “Ow,” she muttered to herself.  The pain was enough to get her to come to her senses. 

For one, she was still in the dress from the previous night.  It was surprisingly comfortable, seeing that she slept peacefully in it.  Minyoung sat up lazily and reached for the alarm clock.  That was when she realized…

Kim Yukwon was on her couch.

Wait…

She tried not to scream, realizing that she had offered him to spend the night.  How could I forget…?  I must be losing my mind.

She remembered the previous night.

“You shouldn’t walk home by yourself,” Yukwon said with concern.  “I can’t believe that Minhyuk let you.”

“I didn’t tell Minhyuk.”

“But…”

“If it concerns you so much, you should just walk me home.”  She blushed, glad that the dark prevented him from seeing it.

“I will.”

She felt her cheeks burn even more.  “What?  I was just joking.” 

“No, it’s a great idea!  Then I can sleep well at night knowing that you’re safe.”

“About earlier…”

“Hm?”

“Are you going to answer my question?”

The two started walking. 

“I am.”

“Then?”

“It would sound stupid if I said ‘of course you can like me’.  What should I say?”  He chuckled nervously.

“A simple ‘yes’ would be good enough for me.”  She grabbed his hand and interlocked their fingers.

“Right.  Um…”

“Do you want to spend the night?” she blurted out.

“What?”

“Never mind, of course you wouldn’t want to,” Minyoung said.  “Sorry for sounding stupid.”

“I can.”

“Really?” She smiled.

She covered her face in embarrassment.  Checking the time again, she realized that if she didn’t start getting ready at that moment, she would be late for breakfast. 

First, I must take a shower.  She grabbed her school uniform from the coffee table and made her way over to the bathroom.  The warm water helped fully wake her up, and she stood in the shower for at least ten minutes.  She thought about everything bothering her…mainly Kim Yukwon.  She still couldn’t understand how one boy could confuse her feelings so much.  Minyoung could solve the hardest math problems and recite Shakespeare in English class, but she could never figure out what Yukwon was thinking.  Yet, it was scary that he could read her so well.  He always seemed to know what she was thinking, even though Minyoung hated to admit it.  Coming to the conclusion that Kim Yukwon had changed her in the short time she knew him, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.

“Minyoung, did you use up all of the hot water?” Minhyuk whined from outside of the bathroom.  “Why were you in there for such a long time?”

She didn’t answer.  Instead, she pulled her school uniform on and furiously brushed her teeth.  He knows so much about me, but I know next to nothing about him.  The only thing I know about him is that he has an older brother…I don’t even know his brother’s name.  But Yukwon knows Taeil and Minhyuk.  Although, he hasn’t met my parents…what would they think of him?  Would they approve?

“Minyoung, are you done?”

She spit the toothpaste out of .  “Yeah.”  She grabbed her pajamas and opened the bathroom door.

Minhyuk stood, half-dazed, with his school uniform in hand.  “Your alarm woke me up,” he said before she could say anything.  “How come you weren’t up before the alarm?”

“I…don’t know.”

“Maybe all of the thoughts about Kim Yukwon have kept you up at night,” he mocked.

“I doubt it.”

“By the way,” he said.

“What?”

“Tell me the truth, okay?”

She nodded hesitantly.  Whenever Minhyuk asked her to tell the truth, nothing good ever happened.

“Are you in love with Yukwon?”

She paused, staring her brother in the face.

“I mean,” Minhyuk continued, “It’s fine if you do, but I’ll need time to accept the facts…”

Minyoung smiled.

<:>

“To tell you the truth, I’m not a genius.” Minyoung sat across from her twin brother and Yukwon in Taeil’s ramyun shop.  She felt as though she had to say that, considering the fact that Yukwon probably wondered why she hadn’t started to study for exams yet.

“I would’ve never guessed,” Minhyuk replied sarcastically.

“Oh shut up, Minhyuk.”

Yukwon frowned in confusion.  “But you’re an honor student.  Aren’t you a genius?  I asked you that one time if you were smart, and you got mad…”

She laughed.  “I was having a bad day.”  Seeing that Yukwon didn’t seem to understand, she added, “I have an eidetic memory, which means that I can recall images and facts perfectly for about a few minutes longer than most people.”

“Eidetic?”

“More commonly mistaken as a photographic memory.”

“Oh.”

“It’s nothing to be proud of, actually.” She shrugged.  “If other people knew, then they would complain about my unfair advantage.”

“Why are you so perfect?” Yukwon immediately blurted out.

Minyoung’s jaw dropped, and she felt her cheeks begin to turn pink.  “Excuse me?”

“You’re pretty and smart.”

“But there are things about me that are completely awful.  I eat so much food and completely forget my table manners while doing so.  I can’t bring myself to talk with other people.  I forgive others too easily.  I—”

“Minyoung,” Yukwon said.  “I meant for it to be a compliment.  If you want me to take it back, then I will.”

“Just…sorry.  I overanalyzed everything.” She shook her head in frustration.  “It’s just that something weird is happening to me—”

“You aren’t a vampire, right?” Minhyuk asked.

“You’re kidding, right?” She scoffed.  “It’s just that little things are bothering me now.  For instance, I’m losing sleep at night and not waking up before my alarm.”

“Understandable.  Exams are coming up, right?” Minhyuk suggested.

She shook her head.  “I’m happier in general.  I don’t feel stressed at all.”

“Ah!  That reminds me.  You didn’t answer my question from earlier, Minyoung,” Minhyuk said casually.

She blushed.  “I thought you wouldn’t remember.”  She couldn’t help but notice Yukwon’s confused stare.  “But to answer your question, I do.”

Yukwon checked his watch.  “Minyoung, Minhyuk, we’re going to be late for school...”

“Oh,” Minyoung replied.  “I’m not going today.”

“What?  Why?”

“Yukwon, if I told you why, you’d laugh at me.”

As Minhyuk and Yukwon exited the restaurant, Minyoung waved.

<:>

Jaehyo saw Minyoung before she saw him.  He was walking to school, looking through the shop windows, and found himself attracted toward the ramyun shop where he spent a good part of his high school career.

She sat in the back corner, furiously writing in a book.  He wanted to know what she was doing, but he also knew that he had no right to ask.

He would talk to her anyway.

Jaehyo walked through the door, nodding at Taeil, who was working behind the counter.  He took a seat across from Minyoung, who didn’t even glance up.  He cleared his throat, hoping to catch her attention, but she continued to look down at her book.  At that point, Jaehyo figured that she was ignoring him.

He finally asked, “Minyoung?  What are you doing here?”

“If you haven’t noticed, Ahn Jaehyo, this is my brother’s ramyun shop.  I have every right as you do to be here.” She recognized his voice from the moment he spoke.

“I was trying to be polite.”  Jaehyo put his bag down on the counter and pulled up a chair to the table Minyoung sat at.  He wasn’t completely over her, but he was trying to move on.

“Oh.  Well, in that case, I’m celebrating National Ramyun Day.”

He snickered.  “National Ramyun Day?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“I’m pretty sure today isn’t—”

“I made it up a long time ago.  That’s why I’m here, in this ramyun shop, trying to get all of the free ramyun I can before Taeil oppa kicks me out.”

“We should get to school, Minyoung.”

“No, I’m going to celebrate National Ramyun Day, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“But…” Jaehyo searched for a lie.  “The cafeteria lunch today is ramyun.” 

She immediately perked up.  “Seriously?”

He sighed inwardly.  If this is what it will take…  “Yup.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?  I guess I could celebrate at school…”

He grabbed her backpack as she slid out of the booth and smiled.  “I guess we can walk together, then?”

“Why?”

He had to chuckle at her bluntness.  “We’re going to the same school, so we might was well go together.”

She shrugged.  “But I’m carrying my own backpack.” She reached up and yanked her backpack away from Jaehyo.  “There’s a lot of food in here, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to it.”

He smiled.  “Still the same.”

“I don’t know about that.”

<:>

“You’re just going to let her ditch school?” Yukwon asked Minhyuk curiously.

He scoffed.  “If I said anything, do you think she would’ve listened?”

“True…”

“And I think she’s celebrating her National Ramyun Day.”

“What?” Yukwon chuckled.  Cute.  They reached the classroom and took their seats.  Since there were still a good fifteen minutes before the beginning of homeroom, students were still arriving in masses.

Just then, Son Naeun and Jung Eunji walked into the classroom, gossiping about something.  Minhyuk happened to hear them as they passed by.

“Jaehyo and Minyoung?  I thought they were over.”

“I thought so too.”

Minhyuk paused, leaving Yukwon to walk ahead.  “Wait, Naeun.”  He called out to the two girls, who stopped and walked back toward him.

“Hey Minhyuk.  What’s up?” Naeun asked.

“What were you saying about Jaehyo?”

“Oh, that?” She grimaced.  “Didn’t you know?  Jaehyo and Minyoung came to school together.  Eunji and I thought that they were over, so we were talking about it.”  Naeun shrugged.  “It’s kind of a bummer if they are together, though.  I kinda had a crush Jaehyo.”

“Well, I’m sure that isn’t it.  My sister doesn’t like Jaehyo like that anymore.”

“Oh yeah?” She challenged.  “Isn’t that them right out there?”

“I’m sure it was a coincidence,” Minhyuk replied, though he couldn’t think of a reason why Minyoung would walk with Jaehyo.

“Right.” Naeun rolled her eyes.  “Because they’d accidentally hug each other.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look.” Naeun pointed.

Minhyuk knew from the backpack that it was Minyoung.  He could distinguish Jaehyo by his hair.  But why would they willingly hug?

“I’ll see you around, Minhyuk.” She smiled and waved.  But Minhyuk was too caught up in staring out the window.

Yukwon noticed Minhyuk’s troubled look and followed his gaze.  “Is that…?”

And for once, Minhyuk had no reply.