He read the first three,

1) If he says it was love at first sight, he wants to get in your pants. That's an immediate rejection. Slap him, if you can.

2) If he uses cheesy pickup lines, watch out! If they're y, that means he's an overconfident that actually has an inferiority complex, but if they're just plain cheesy, the guy is probably funny. Funny is good.

3) Look at how he dresses. If he has no distinctive style, his momma still probably buys all his clothes for him. Not good. You can’t date someone who’s still living with his mom. Plus, the way someone dresses says A LOT about his personality.

            “Well, at least you can get rid of a lot of losers at first sight with the first three,” Kibum commented before continuing.

4) Start off by trying to make him jealous, before things get too serious. If he doesn't get jealous, he's gay. If he gets jealous and tries to make you jealous back, he's an . If he gets jealous and says nothing, you will have a miserable relationship. If he gets jealous and says that you're his and only his and bans you from seeing other guys, he's a psycho. If he gets jealous and tells you straight up that he is jealous, he's a keeper.

5) Does he pay on dates? If he doesn't ever offer, throw him out in the trash where he belongs. If he always pays, you are one spoiled little . If he offers to pay a lot, or you often split the cost, keep him.

6) This one's simple and self-explanatory: is he a good kisser?

            You blushed at the last one. Your embarrassment went unnoticed by Kibum, who read on.

7) Is he gentlemanly? Does he hold open doors, walk on the side of the street that the cars are by, give you a hand to help you out of the car, hold out your chair for you, hold the umbrella up for you, carry your bag(s) while shopping, etc? If he does more than or at least half of those, he's the one. If he does all of them, run as far from this ist bastard as you can. We're living in the 21st century, for Christ's sake!

8) What does he tell his friends about you? That says more than enough about what he really thinks of you.

9) What kind of gifts does he bring? If it's flowers, say goodbye. If it's chocolates, wait and see. If it's more personal, don't let go of him.

            “That one’s kind of stupid,” Kibum said with a frown.

            “Let me guess,” you teased. “You’ve given girls flowers on dates before.”

            “No!” Kibum defended.

            You rolled your eyes and protested, “But this one’s not that stupid! Like, flowers are so cliché and boring. At least you can do something with chocolates.”

            “Whatever,” Kibum replied. You stuck your tongue out at his bent head.

10) When you guys are getting…intimate…do you just feel lust? Or does your heart beat faster, do you blush more, do you feel nervous?

            This time, Kibum didn’t fail to see you blushing. He laughed awkwardly. “I don’t think I can help you with this one,” he said sheepishly.

11) Does he make you laugh and can you talk to him almost as well as you can talk to your best friend? There should always be one little secret you keep from each other, but if it's really important or if there's more than one, forget about him.

12) If he can tell you he loves you while looking you in the eye, don't ever think twice about saying it back. Note: blushing and looking down due to nervousness the first few times he says it are forgivable.

13) If you lose him and you feel like part of you died, get him back and marry him, because that means you've found someone you truly love.

            Kibum handed you the list after reviewing them all, and you folded it carefully, your hands gently brushing over the delicate paper, before stowing it in your purse.

            “Damn,” you sighed. “Thirteen whole tests? This is never going to work.”

            Kibum leaned back against his chair before answering, “You just have to be patient with it. Don’t give up.”

            You leaned forward and let the side of your head thump against the table. “This is stupid. I don’t want to meet someone. I just want to grow up and be alone for the rest of my life.”

            “Don’t be such a drama queen.” It was his turn to roll his eyes.

            “I’m serious, Bum-ah! I’m just…done. I don’t need love, I don’t want love: I am perfectly happy single.” You turned your head so that the side of your face was mashed against the surface of the table and he wouldn’t see the frustration in your eyes.

            He patted your head. “_____, I know it’s been hard, but I was serious before when I said that you needed to start moving forward. You need to break out of your routine of waking up, going to class, doing homework here, and going to bed. This has been going on for too long and you know it.”

            Deep down, you genuinely felt sorry to Kibum. He only meant well—he was your best friend, and no matter what the circumstance, he was always good to you. You had been friends for longer than you could remember. He had been the friend your parents put in the same crib as while the adults talked the night away, the friend you pushed on the swing and chased down the slide, the friend who shyly hid behind you when you started middle school together, the friend you had watched grow more and more mature and handsome throughout high school, the friend who now tried to make you do the right thing for your own sake, at risk of you hating him. You understood all that, but you didn’t think he understood how you felt at the moment, so you ended up yelling at him,

            “Look, Kibum, you just don’t get it. Why do you think this will be easy? You know how I got to this point, and you still think I can do this, that I can just…let go? Just get over it? Stop forcing me into this! Just leave me alone, Kibum! That’s all I want, to be left alone!” The words hurt your heart even as you said them; you couldn’t imagine how Kibum must be feeling. But you grabbed your stuff quickly, not making eye contact as you rushed out of his house, feeling miserable and ashamed.

~*~

            You wandered around your dorm room later that night, pacing restlessly back and forth. Your roommate, Song Qian, a ballerina who had been recruited by the university’s officials from the Beijing Dance Academy, was doing homework by lamplight. Your incoherent mumbling finally caused her to throw her pencil down and demand,
            “Alright, _____, you’re going to tell me right now what your problem is. You’ve been like this ever since I got back from practice, and it’s not only driving me crazy, but it’s clearly also bugging you.”

            Just like her, to be so concerned yet so nagging. You threw yourself on her bed and stared up at her with sad puppy eyes. “Qiannie,” you whined. “I messed up. I yelled at Kibum for the stupidest reason and now I don’t even know what to do.”

            “Is that even a problem?” she scoffed.

            “You know, for a foreigner, you sure know a lot of hurtful words,” you said. Truthfully, her Korean was just as good as the next girl’s, with only a few misunderstanding and mispronunciations, but you attacked her language anyway because she was being unhelpful and you were feeling miserably petty.

            “Just apologize,” Qian said plainly. “He’s your friend. Whatever you did can’t be terrible to the point of no return.”

            “I think it might be,” you said sadly, resting your head in her lap. She your hair comfortingly while listening to you confess, “It didn’t seem that bad, but I said some thing I shouldn’t have, especially with…that problem I told you about, that...thing…from freshman year. The one about me, and Kibum, and—“

            “Shh,” she said sympathetically. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

            “I just don’t know why Bummie thinks getting over him will be easy. He knows how much it hurt me, and now he expects me to just keep going? I don’t get it.”

            “_____-ah, he’s worried about you. Like I am. I can tell you upfront that the only thing I want is for you to be happy. Kibum-ssi is different. He may not say it, but what he wants is for you to be happy again, like you used to be.”

            “You’re right, Qiannie,” you sighed. “I should have known better than to yell at him, but it’s still a sensitive topic. I guess I’ll go apologize right after my sign language class tomorrow morning.”

            “Good girl,” she said. She patted your cheek before pushing you up, off of her lap, and ordered, “Now be quiet and leave me alone. I have to finish these math problems or I’ll get kicked out of the spring showcase.”

            You obeyed her with a grin. Kibum may be you best friend, but Song Qian came in at a close second. She had been your roommate during freshman year, and you had gotten so close you opted to dorm with her for the next two years as well. She was like a nagging umma, but she treated you well and you felt like you had known her for almost as long as you had known Kibum. And sometimes, there were just some things that needed to be discussed with a girl that Kibum listened to but was completely useless at helping with, and Qiannie was perfect for. You were always grateful for her friendship.

~*~

            The next morning, after rushing out of class, you stood, uncertain, in front of Kibum’s door. Unlike you and Qian, he and Ryeowook chose to live on an apartment on campus, rather than share a dorm with a bunch of strangers. You hesitated to enter, but after remembering how badly you treated him yesterday, you swallowed your nervousness and knocked.

            “_____?” Ryeowook answered the door.

            “Hi, Wookie,” you said with a shy smile. “Is it okay if I step in and talk to Kibum?”

            “Don’t you have a key?” he asked, confused.

            You supposed Kibum hadn’t told Ryeowook what had happened, so you didn’t either. “Yeah, I just thought it would be better if I knocked this one time.”

            Ryeowook shrugged, letting it go and letting you in. “Kibum-ah! _____ is here!” He gave you one final smile before dashing off down the hallway, probably to his room.

            “Hey,” Kibum said, stepping out from the kitchen to greet you.

            “Hi,” you said sheepishly. “Bummie, what I said yesterday was really harsh. I should have thought about your feelings too before speaking. I know you understand how feel—you might even understand better than I do. Please forgive me?” Your apologies tumbled from your mouth, spilling out fast and unstoppable, like word diarrhea, but only because you hated fighting with Kibum more than anything. You were honestly so ashamed of the way you snapped at him, despite it being such a small transgression.

            “Yah, ____ ______, do you really think I’m so cruel as to not forgive you? I was never even mad.” He said, smiling that adorable smile at you. Wordlessly, you threw yourself at him and engulfed him in a hug. He returned it slowly. You pulled away and smiled at him.

            “I don’t even know what I’d do without you.”

            “Likewise,” he said simply. You laughed. You don’t think you would ever get him to say it outright, or without him hiding shyly behind his hands, but you knew how much he cared about you anyway.

            “As apology, I want to buy you guys some food. You know, since you told me Ryeowook doesn’t buy groceries anymore and such.”

            “Can he come?” Kibum asked. “I don’t really know what to get.”

            “Of course! Ryeowook-ah!” you shouted at the empty hallway. “Come buy food with us!”

~*~

            Kibum trailed behind you and Ryeowook as you scoured the grocery aisles, pushing the cart that slowly but surely got heavier and heavier. You and Ryeowook loved cooking together, and you were both delighted by the multitude of ingredients that presented themselves to you.           

            “Ooh, Ryeowookie, look at this ginger! It’s on sale per pound and it looks so fresh.”

            Ryeowook quickly stuffed several in a bag and tossed it at Kibum, who obediently put it in the cart like a well-trained dog. “Good eye, _____!”

            Kibum stayed quiet, just watching you guys flit about the shop like kids at a toy store. “Yah, Kibum,” you called back to him. “Don’t you want anything for yourself?”

            He shrugged. “You guys cook, I eat.”

            “Your loss,” you said. Ryeowook started humming next to you, “Hmm, hmm, hmm. La la la la la. Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she precious?”

            You loved that song and started swaying back and forth to his voice. Kibum smirked at Wookie's accented English. You shimmied up to Kibum and grabbed his hands and swung them from side to side. “Isn’t Ki wonderful?” Ryeowook sang playfully as he skipped in circles around you and Kibum.           

            “We’re at the grocery,” Kibum hissed. Ryeowook and you giggled and the two of you continued to pester him, making his face redder and redder. “I never thought through love we’d be making one as lovely as Ki!” You sang together, Ryeowook at his left ear and you at his right. He finally cracked a smile. He pushed the both of you away, one with each hand, but the eye-smile remained on his face. He pushed the cart forward, walking away from his two embarrassing friends.

            As he wandered, a lady stopped him and offered him a sample of dumplings. He took it gratefully and carried two more samples to his friends, who had quickly tailed him and were back to piling every possible food item into their grocery cart.

            “Ah,” he said, opening his mouth and motioning for you Ryeowook and you to follow. You closed your eyes and savored the taste, a smile of pure delight lighting up your face after Kibum fed you. That smile. Kibum would do anything to keep that smile on your face.

            Isn’t she lovely…

~*~

            That evening, after you and Ryeowook had cooked dinner and fed it to Kibum together, you curled up in your bed, alone. Song Qian hadn’t come back yet—she was probably out with friends or with her little sister, Eunyoung, who had come to visit for the week.

             Your memories didn’t come to haunt you much. It had been a while, after all. But these days when you were truly happy, you couldn’t help but remember.

            You couldn’t help but regret.

            “_____,” he said to you, clearly looking forward to something.

            “What?” you asked impatiently.

            He ignored your irritated tone and continued excitedly, “I prepared something really special today. Something I’ve been dreaming about for you and me. Here, close your eyes, and I’ll show you!”

            “Look,” you told your boyfriend. “I don’t really have time for this. I’ll see you later.” You grabbed your bag, got up, and left without another word, not even sending him a single glance back. He stayed there, motionless. He didn’t do anything but sit and stare at the present he prepared, which he had been hiding behind his back. He fiddled with it in his hand for a little bit, before painful thoughts poisoned his mind, making him grow angry. He forcefully threw his surprise at the wall. He left the same way you had left, storming out, but he didn’t follow you. He walked the opposite way. And lying there, brokenm on the ground, was a tiny little handmade model of a cute house. It had hearts on the shutters and was painted a shining white. On the tiny door was the inscription, “Let’s build a life together, _____-ah!”

            But the little model that man had spent hours putting together had fallen to pieces, and you would never even know it existed. 

A/N: Yay new chapter! This doesn't have much, plotwise, but it sets up a lot of really important things. We have appearances from Ryeowook, Kibum (of course), Victoria, and a slight one from Amber (Eunyoung). Oh, and one from this mysterious man! Who is he? Is he someone already in the story, or someone we haven't met yet? You'll see~~~! Sadly, I don't know much about ther personlaities of f(x). I'll try to make everyone true to life, based on what I've read from fans and what I've seen from the little I've watched of them. Everything speeds up next chapter, a lot's going to happen. I'm so excited to write muhahaha! Thanks for being patient and sticking arounf ^^;; Oh, and what do you think of the list? Would you follow it or is it too crazy? Notice I put 13 rules. Ever since becoming an ELF, I've jsut loved the number 13 ^^ Just keep those rules in mind! They'll be really important for the story. And for easy access, in case you want to look back and see what the rules are, I'll put the list here, at the end of chapter two. Remember, the list is at the end of chapter two! And thank you to my first subcribers and commenters! You really fueled my writing this chapter. Please comment and subscribe! You have no idea how encouraging it is!

1) If he says it was love at first sight, he wants to get in your pants. That's an immediate rejection. Slap him, if you can.

2) If he uses cheesy pickup lines, watch out! If they're y, that means he's an overconfident that actually has an inferiority complex, but if they're just plain cheesy, the guy is probably funny. Funny is good.

3) Look at how he dresses. If he has no distinctive style, his momma still probably buys all his clothes for him. Not good. You can’t date someone who’s still living with his mom. Plus, the way someone dresses says A LOT about his personality.

4) Start off by trying to make him jealous, before things get too serious. If he doesn't get jealous, he's gay. If he gets jealous and tries to make you jealous back, he's an . If he gets jealous and says nothing, you will have a miserable relationship. If he gets jealous and says that you're his and only his and bans you from seeing other guys, he's a psycho. If he gets jealous and tells you straight up that he is jealous, he's a keeper.

5) Does he pay on dates? If he doesn't ever offer, throw him out in the trash where he belongs. If he always pays, you are one spoiled little . If he offers to pay a lot, or you often split the cost, keep him.

6) This one's simple and self-explanatory: is he a good kisser?

7) Is he gentlemanly? Does he hold open doors, walk on the side of the street that the cars are by, give you a hand to help you out of the car, hold out your chair for you, hold the umbrella up for you, carry your bag(s) while shopping, etc? If he does more than or at least half of those, he's the one. If he does all of them, run as far from this ist bastard as you can. We're living in the 21st century, for Christ's sake!

8) What does he tell his friends about you? That says more than enough about what he really thinks of you.

9) What kind of gifts does he bring? If it's flowers, say goodbye. If it's chocolates, wait and see. If it's more personal, don't let go of him.

10) When you guys are getting…intimate…do you just feel lust? Or does your heart beat faster, do you blush more, do you feel nervous? 

11) Does he make you laugh and can you talk to him almost as well as you can talk to your best friend? There should always be one little secret you keep from each other, but if it's really important or if there's more than one, forget about him.

12) If he can tell you he loves you while looking you in the eye, don't ever think twice about saying it back. Note: blushing and looking down due to nervousness the first few times he says it are forgivable.

13) If you lose him and you feel like part of you died, get him back and marry him, because that means you've found someone you truly love.