“What sort of a friend are you?  You’ve been living with five guys for months and you never thought to tell us?

I rolled my eyes at Nam Gyu, who pouted as she stole one of my egg rolls and stuffed it into . A week has passed since they found out about my secret, but they were still grilling me for it.

“That Jinyoung, does he have a girlfriend?” she asked, blushing slightly.

“No,” I answered. “But you, on the other hand, have a boyfriend.” I didn’t know why, but I’ve been feeling a little possessive of them lately. It’s like I wanted them all to myself. I was confident with the knowledge that only I knew about them. They were mine. But now that my friends knew, I felt that they weren’t exclusive to me anymore. I had to share, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. An extremely childish and selfish thought, I know. But I couldn’t help feeling that way. Especially since Nam Gyu and Seul Mi had started insisting on walking me home, just saw they could see Jinyoung and the others.

Nam Gyu pouted. “I was just asking. They seem extremely attached to you, you know. It’s like their whole world revolves around you or something.”

I gave her an awkward smile and tried my best not to choke on a piece of meat. Yesterday they stayed for hot choco and some cake. They’d seen firsthand how everyone fussed over me, especially Baro and Gongchan who, according to them, has some weird rivalry going on.

“So that’s why you haven’t been moping around,” Seul Mi declared, pointing her chopsticks at me. “You’ve got a lot to occupy you.”

“It’s not like that,” I mumbled as I waved her away, but I knew she was a tiny bit right. I haven’t been thinking about the break-up, or even Min Jun.

They both leaned in conspiratorially. “To whom did you give your chocolates?”

I nibbled on my chopsticks. “I didn’t give anything to anyone.”

“Why not?”

Because they’re robots. They don’t eat. And they probably don’t understand the whole concept of Valentine’s. A girl gives chocolates to the boy she likes. And I don’t like them that way. Right? Right. I only said these in my mind, of course. Outwardly I just shrugged.

“It’s White Day tomorrow. Do you think one of them would be giving you candies?”

I shook my head. “I doubt it. But that’s all right. It’s not like I’m expecting anything from them.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sandeul sat on the front steps, his cheeks propped over his palms as he contemplated. It was White Day tomorrow. The TV was already peppered with adverts about the occasion, but he still didn’t know what he could do for Mi Ra. Everyone else acted aloof and nonchalant, but he knew they were all planning something. He sensed it.

Gongchan had been holed up in the attic for days now. He’d been lugging a lot of stuff up there too, and Sandeul was dying to know what the puppy was up to. Each time he tried to sneak a peek, however, Gongchan caught him, and he was forbidden to ever go up there.

Jinyoung had taken permanent residence in the kitchen, making candies. He also laid claim to one of the rooms.

Shinwoo and Baro were in their own worlds too.

Everyone else had come up with something, but all that was in Sandeul’s head was some white fuzz. That, and the sudden awkwardness whenever Mi Ra sends a smile his way.

He really wanted to do something special for her. Just handing her candies is too boring.

“Aish~” His face was scrunched up in annoyance.

“What’s wrong, Sandeul?”

He almost fell off the stairs when Mi Ra suddenly appeared beside him. He turned to answer her, but he found that he couldn’t think of a single thing to say. She had just come from the shower, and she  had  let her hair down. It cascaded in a brown waterfall, softly waving and curling around her face. Her eyes were wide with concern, and the moonlight was reflected in them.

What was she asking again?

She turned towards the house then back at him. “Everyone seems busy these days. What are you doing out here?”

“I-uh….I’m quacking.” He mentally slapped himself for that answer. What a smart thing to say, you stupid duck, he scolded himself.

“What?” Mi Ra asked.

Well..here goes…”I’m practicing my quacks. See?” He quacked a couple of times, feeling more and more stupid.

Mi Ra giggled, and he stared at her, open-mouthed.  He wasn’t sure why, but something about her messed up his thought processes. He’s get all flustered and he would freeze, then mumble stupid things. Like this morning. She’d only smiled and said good morning, but he blurted out that she looked pretty with her hair down. Then he ran to the kitchen and smacked his head repeatedly on the refrigerator, until Baro came over and asked what was wrong with him, and he didn’t know what to say because he didn’t know the answer himself.

Mi Ra looked at him, and he suddenly avoided her gaze.  How can he think about his surprise when she was so close?

“What are you thinking about?”

“Wha-“he yelped when he realized how close their faces were. He stood up, unable to take it. She probably wasn’t doing it on purpose, but still, she makes his brains all messed up. Her eyebrows raised when he did that, and the cute expression on her face made him go even crazier. “I-I HAVE TO GO!” he yelled. He didn’t know why he raised his voice. “I’M GONNA GO TO BARO!” 

He ran as fast as he could, not even waiting for her reaction, and started searching for Baro. He didn’t know what was happening to him, and he needed someone to explain it to him. Jinyoung would probably glare at him for intruding, and Shinwoo would just stare at him. He didn’t trust anything Gongchan had to say, that puppy was a lot trickier than he looked. Baro was the only option.

“BARO!” He knew Baro had made it clear he didn’t want to be disturbed, but this was an emergency situation. He hammered on the door. “BARO! OPEN THIS DOOR BEFORE I-“

The door opened and Baro appeared only long enough to pull him in, then immediately locked the door.

“Ba-“

“Don’t turn around!”

“Why?”

“Because! You might see what I’ve prepared and you might copy my ideas!”

“But I need to talk to you!” He tried to turn, but Baro held the scruff of his neck, forcing him to face the wall.

“Then talk.”

“To a wall?”

“You wanna talk or not?”

Sandeul paused. Well, it was better than nothing. And he really did need to talk, before his operating system went out of control. “Something weird is happening to me.” He felt Baro let go of his neck.

“Don’t move!” Baro warned. “Or else I’ll kick your duck out of here.”

“Fine, fine. Anyway, I feel really strange.”

“What way strange?”

He thought for a moment, thinking how to phrase his words best. “Well…it started weeks ago. Something happens and then I space out, I stutter and I forget what I’m supposed to say. I get all weird and I don’t understand what’s happening to me and it’s driving me crazy!” He stomped his foot in frustration, not minding that he was, technically, complaining to a blank wall.

“Hmm?”

“That’s all you got to say???”

“Hold on-“ Sandeul heard the sounding of something being pounded. “Oh, okay. That…doesn’t look right. I thought…”

“Um…hello? I’m still here.”

“Wait a sec, I’m trying to-“ He heard Baro sigh. “Fine, I’ll do it later. Darned thing isn’t supposed to look like this anyway…” Baro muttered. “When does this usually happen?”

“Well…It happens every time Mi Ra’s -“

“Mi Ra?” Baro was beside him in a second. “Did you say Mi Ra?”

Sandeul hung his head. “Yeah. Whenever I see her I forget what I’m supposed to be doing. Like earlier, she talked to me, then I forgot what she was saying. Then she smiled, and I forgot where I was. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?” He grabbed Baro’s collar and started shaking him. What he didn’t expect was that Baro would grab him back.

“You guys talked? When? About what? You didn’t kiss her too, did you?”

Sandeul was more confused than ever. “Before I went here. And why would I kiss her?”

Baro let him go, seeming to have calmed down. Sandeul eyed him, suddenly suspicious. Was it possible that Baro liked Mi Ra too? Did he feel the same thing he felt when Mi Ra was around? How about the others? Was it the same for them too?

“I think I know what’s happening to you,” Baro said after a while. “Aish. This is getting so complicated…”

Sandeul’s lower lip pushed out. “Can’t you just say it directly? I don’t really need more confusing things right now.”

“I feel the same thing for Mi Ra,” Baro admitted, not meeting his eyes.  “Gongchan does too, I think. That sneaky puppy…” Baro broke off, looking disgruntled, before clearing his throat. He went on.  “I don’t know about Shinwoo and Jinyoung, but I’m pretty sure the same thing goes for them. We haven’t been talking about it, maybe because we’re all still trying to figure it out.” Baro glanced at him. “You’ve never experienced this before, right? In the past?”

Sandeul didn’t need to think about his answer, he shook his head. Everything about life with Mi Ra was new. The experiences, situations—the emotions, however weird that sounded (Can a robot have emotions?)— everything was new. And that was why he didn’t know what to do. Sandeul and Baro stared at each other for a while.

“You broke free from it, right?” he asked. He didn’t need to say exactly what it was, because they both knew exactly what he was talking about.

Baro nodded. “That night, when I went after Min Jun.”

“And you’ve got…?”

Baro nodded again. There was one thing that he wanted more than anything in the world, and it had taken a back seat ever since he “woke up”.  Taking care of Mi Ra became his priority. Strangely though, it was fine with him. Sure, wanted to break free from it too, but does it really matter when? As long as he’s with Mi Ra, he sincerely believes he’d be fine.

“Ohhh…What a pretty thing!” Sandeul exclaimed as he laid eyes on what Baro had been hiding in this room. He turned his head this way and that. “What is it?”

Baro pursed his lips before shaking his head slowly. “I’m not sure either. I was planning to make something else, but it came out like that.”

Sandeul was still trying to figure out exactly what it was, but then Baro seemed to remember something. “Hey!” Baro yelled at him. “You aren’t supposed to see this!”

“Too late,” he answered smugly. “Don’t worry though, there’s no way I’m copying that one, I don’t even know what it is.” That said, he was once again reminded with his problems. “I’ve got another problem too!”

“You have a lot of problems, don’t you?”

“I still have no idea what to do for Mi Ra! And it’s White Day tomorrow! Jinyoung and Gongchan and Shinwoo have come up with stuff, and I’d bet they’re all great. And you… you have that weird thing in there-”

“Hey!”Baro intruded. “What weird thing?!”

“-but I don’t have anything!” Sandeul messed his hair in frustration. “Help me out! Please?” He put his hands together in a gesture of pleading, and batted his eyes the same way he’d seen Gongchan do a lot of times with Jinyoung. He felt a little dizzy, but went on anyway.

Baro flicked his forehead, laughing as he did so. “Hey, what are you trying to do?”

“I’m trying to gain your pity so you’d help me!” He batted his eyelashes more, then added his own style -- pouty lips. “Baro, please, help me out, huh? Huh? Please?”

“You look weird.”

“Please???” He stretched out the word, hugging Baro and pouting up at him. “Take pity on me, huh?”

Baro let out an exasperated sigh and glared at him, but Sandeul knew he had the squirrel in the palm of his hands. His thoughts were confirmed by Baro himself.

“All right, all right. Fine. There’s a park nearby. I was thinking of bringing her there myself, but I don’t think I can lug my surprise up there, so you can have it.”

“Really?” He grabbed Baro and kissed the boy’s cheeks.

“Ew!” Baro wiped his cheeks with his sleeve. “Duck lips. Gross.”

He ignored the comment. “Take me there! Now! Okay? I wanna see the place!” He started tugging at Baro’s hands, all but dragging him downstairs. They breezed past Jinyoung and Shinwoo, giving them the vaguest explanations as to where they were heading.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Just so you guys know, this didn't turn out the way I wanted it to.lol.

But it's time for Sandeul's spotlight, I've been focusing on Baro way too much.

Next chap is about White Day too. Wait for it, okay?

^_^