‘So, food additives are substances added to food that are not normally consumed by themselves’

I looked up at my clock hanging in my bedroom.

“1:30pm”  I said to myself.

I can’t do this! If I read one more thing about food additives, I swear I’m going to throw this book out the window!

I put my pen down and rested my head down on my desk.

How can I possibly concentrate on my homework when everything JiYong said yesterday is still floating in my head!

Tell him, don’t tell him, tell him, don’t tell him. I’m just going around in circles here! I need to do something otherwise I’m not going to do nothing!

Just then, my phone starting ringing.

I got out of my chair and went to answer my phone that was lying on my bed. I flipped it open and saw the caller ID was Seung Ri.

“HaNa!!”  He sung into the phone the moment I answered which brought a smile to my face, even though I know whenever he sings my name like that … he is asking for something.

“What is it now Seung Ri?”  I asked, lying down on my bed.

“Have you forgotten our little deal yesterday”  He said.

“What deal?”  I asked.

“Our deal about if you couldn’t catch up to me your going to buy me lunch tomorrow … which is today”  He said.

“Excuse you! You had a head start and that’s cheating so that means … no!”  I said, now sitting up.

“Awwww!! HaNa!”  He whined as I could picture his puppy dog eyes.

Curse his cuteness! I don’t even have to see his face and his cuteness still gets to me.

-
-

“See, this teaches you next time you run”  He said as he waved a chip in my face before eating it while I sat there drinking a milkshake.

Alright HaNa, you can do this … tell him.

“Seung Ri”  I started and he looked up at me with the most cutest face ever!

“I…”

Come on Hana! Get it over and done with.

“You want a chip?”  He asked handing me a chip.

I sighed “Uh … yeah” and took the chip out of his hand.

“You’re going to help me find something today”  He said with a mouth full of chips.

“What is that?”  I asked.

-
-

 “A phone chain?”  I questioned as we both were starring at the rows of phone chains hanging in front of us.

“Yeah”  He replied looking at them.

“What’s wrong with the one you’ve got now?”  I asked as I watched him look at all the different chains.

“I don’t have one anymore”  He said, taking his phone out of his pocket and showed me the non existing phone chain, not even taking his eyes off the phone chains in front of him.

“You lost it?”  I asked.

He finally looked at me  “I didn’t LOOSE it. It just … fell off … somewhere … in school”

I just rolled my eyes at him while I let out a chuckle.

“Oh cool. Check it out! Two for the price of one!”  He said, picking it off the rack to get a better look at it.

I looked down at the chains in his hand.

It was two, silver separate jigsaw pieces that fitted together.

“Uh … that’s a couple’s phone chain”  I said.

“No its not. There is no such thing as a ‘couple’s phone chain’”  He said.

“Um … when one of the jigsaw pieces says ‘Love’ and the other piece says ‘Forever’ and the fact that they fit together is a dead give away that these are couple phone chains”  I said.

“Well who cares. I’ll have one and you have the other one”  He said looking at me.

“Well, unlike you … I still HAVE a perfectly nice phone chain”  I said, taking out my phone and showing him my pink hello kitty phone chain that had a ribbon hanging at the end.

He pulled at the ribbon, ripping it off.

“Correction…you HAD a perfectly nice phone chain”  He said to me with an innocent smile on his face.

My mouth just hung open “You now owe me a new ph-“ and he waved the matching phone chains in my face with a smile on his face.

“Okay, Fine!”  I sighed and he gave a big smile.

-
-

We both found ourselves sitting at the food court once again.

“See, this is cool! I’m ‘Forever’ because I’m forever cool” He said with a cocky smile. I just shook my head at him.

“And your ‘Love’ because you love your forever cool friend … me”  Seung Ri joked as he was putting the phone chain on my phone.

“Cant believe you ripped my hello kitty chain”  I said, starring down at the chain in my hand.

“Well your new chain is so much better than hello kit-kat”  He said, handing back my phone.

“Its kitty”  I said, taking the phone out of his hand.

He shrugged “Kitty, kit-kat … it’s all the same”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and smile at this guy.

Maybe I can try again. I’m sure I can do this! Come on HaNa!

“Seu-“

“Seung Ri! HaNa!”

We both turned and saw HyeMi coming towards us.

I was somewhat half relieved half mad that she turned up. Relieve because it meant I could kind of think over what I’m going to say to Seung Ri and mad at the same time because she just has to come along and ruin every moment I have with Seung Ri.

“What are you two up to?”  She asked.

“Shopping”  Seung Ri said proudly as he grabbed my phone and held both his and my phone up to show the phone chains.

“Awww that’s so cute, but aren’t they … couple chains?”  She asked.

Of course … trust her to point that out, but then again … I pointed that out too.

“How come everyone knows about all this ‘couple’ stuff, but you know what…I don’t care. We’re allowed to have chains like this, right HaNa?”  He said.

“Uh…right!”  I said and nodded as well.

“Its ‘couple’ stuff, they have everything matching and don’t worry I’m not stopping you from having one”  She said with a smile  “My mum just wanted to know why you haven’t stopped by the bakery in a while to say hi?”  She asked.

“Oh, I was just going to go after the mall. You want to come HaNa?”  He asked.

“Oh…nah, I should probably get back to finishing my home economics homework”  I said.

“But I’m not going to leave you alone to walk home by yourself!”  He exclaimed.

“I’m not a baby Seung Ri! I have walked home by myself before”  I added.

“You may not be a baby but you’re MY piggy and I don’t want anything bad happening to my piggy!”  He said.

“Yah! I’m not a pig! But really Seung Ri … I’ll be fine”

-
-

‘But really Seung Ri … I’ll be fine’

I kicked myself mentally. Why the heck did I have to go along and say that!

“HaNa!”  

I looked to my left and saw JiYong across the street. I stopped and waiting for him as he crossed the road.

“What are you doing?”  He asked.

“Just finish shopping with Seung Ri”  I said  “What about you?”

“Finished work”  He said  “Where is he?” he asked as he looked around.

“With JuRi”  I said

“Ohhh, I see”  He said.

“Yeah”  I simply replied and continued walking.

“I’ll walk with you. My place is up in this direction anyway”  He said, walking beside me.

He both walked in silence, not saying a word to each other.

“Told him yet?”  He asked, breaking the silence.

“I don’t think I can!”  I said.

“What’s so scary about telling him?”  He asked.

“Well if you don’t find it so scary why don’t you tell him?”  I said.

“Alright, I will”  He said, turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction.

“I was joking!”  I said, grabbing the back of his shirt.

He stopped and turned his head around to look at me.

We both stood still in this moment.

“What if I tell him? Do you think things will be the same?"  I said, finally letting go of his shirt.

He turned his whole body around to face me

“Hana, This is Seung Ri were talking about. The boy who said ‘No worries guys’ after the boys and I accidentally killed his goldfish. I really don’t think anything is going to change between you two and I highly doubt he is going to leave you because of it”  He said.

“How and why did you become so wise?”  I asked, curious as to how this guy became … I don’t know … some love guru?

“Let’s just say … a similar situation happened to me recently and now I regret never telling her how I feel earlier. I just don’t want the same thing happening to you”  He said.

-
-
-

‘Love’

How ironic!

I was lying on my bed, starring at my new phone chain and once again … everything JiYong said was still floating in my head.

My phone went off, causing me to drop it seeing it scared the living hell out of me.

I flipped it open and saw it was Seung Ri calling.

“Seung Ri”  I answered.

“I’m just making sure you got home alright”  He said.

I let out a laugh

“Yes MOTHER, I got home fine”  I said.

“I’m just making sure nothing happened to my piggy!”  He said.

“Well don’t worry, I’m fine. I bumped into JiYong and I walked with him”  I said.

“Well that’s good. Anyways my piggy, I better get back to my homework. Night piggy”  He said.

“Goodnight Seung Ri”  I said and he hung up.

I let out a sigh.

“I love you”