“You?” Geez, god REALLY reads my mind. Just a moment before I had her in my mind, now she personally stands right before my eyes! He thought, really surprised by her existence there.

       “What?” Soojung demanded. She was actually shock with his presence there too. She never thought that she would meet him there accidentally, but she tried her best to hide her exact feeling, tried to look brave and strong; tried to defend her so-called image.

       “Wh..why are you here? I mean, what are you doing?” He asked her politely, tried to be friendly. It was a good thing so far that they didn’t end arguing on each other every time they met in the ramyeon stall. Even though they didn’t have that friendly chat as well, but at least there was no fight. And he didn’t have any intention to make one. He’s not the type of person who liked to get involved in a quarrel in the first place. That was why he greeted her properly. Though it was clearly impossible for them to be friends, but he wanted to make sure that he didn’t make an enemy too. But he was Minho! The guy Soojung hated at that point of time – that’s how she recognized him. And everything that came out from his mouth would always sounded wrong to her ears, regardless how sincere his effort to be nice to her.

       “What do you mean with ‘why I am here and what I am doing?’ This is a public place, right? Or do you own it? I can be wherever I want! I can do anything I want!”

       He was taken a back upon hearing her reaction. “Hey, what’s wrong with you? I just want to be nice here. I asked you politely. Do you really have to answer me that way?”

       “And one more thing, I can say anything I want in any way I want! If you smart enough, I think you’ve got the point by now!”

       “Tch, you are right, I get it now! So you are that type of person, huh? Making fuss to anyone without any reasonable reason. Really, what’s your problem actually, miss? That incident when I unpurposedly bumped into your father? Okay, I admit that I was wrong that time and I’m really sorry for that. But, just for you know, I have made it up with your father long time ago, I did apologize to him and he seemed didn’t mind with that accident. So it’s crystal clear that there is no problem anymore. That’s all what you want, right? But you still yell at me, make me feel like completely a fool. Now tell me, what did I do wrong to you personally?” He blurted out. All he wanted to do was just to be a good guy, but she seemed didn’t appreciate it at all. It really got on his nerve!

       “…….”

       “See? You even can’t answer me. I think I need to go now, excuse me.” By that he leaved. Walked pass by her who just stuck there on her spot. She kept opening and closing but wasn’t able to produce any word, didn’t know what to say. She turned her head toward him as he passed her by. She only stood there watching on his retreating back as he walked away, leaving her there; silence and dumbfounded.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

       Soojung was on her way home. She drove her van slowly, enjoyed the beautiful view and the fresh air which she hardly got in town. She inhaled the fresh air deeply with that wide smile plastered on her face. But suddenly she frowned when she noticed a familiar figure not too far in front of her, a man. The man looked so irritated. He stood in the side of the road with his both hands rubbed the back of his head and his mouth kept muttering something Soojung couldn’t hear. But she was positive that he was cursing. The flashback of their conversation a while before suddenly rushed into her mind. A little part of her felt ashamed of herself. That man actually did nothing bad to her, maybe he was a bit annoying in that past time. But didn’t he just try to defend himself from the sudden attack from her? It’s normal, right? Everyone would do that. After all, he did apologize to her father just like a real gentleman. He’s not as bad as I thought. But wait! She also couldn’t blame herself completely. Referring to the previous chat they had, maybe he was the right person and let say that Soojung was the one who misunderstood the situation. Even though he was in the right side, should he really leaved her there alone and dumbfounded? He may be the right one, but he was the man there and she was the girl. Shouldn’t the man protect the girl? Even when the girl made mistake, the guy could easily let it go to protect the girl’s feeling right? But this man clearly needed to point out that he was right and she was the criminal! Okay, he may be not a bad guy. But he surely has no manners!

       That contemplation somehow made her aware about how much she disliked him. She didn’t hate him, just……., didn’t like him. However, she still bothered herself to stop as her van reached him closer.

       “Hey, what happen? Out of fuel, huh?” She said curiously while scrolling down the already half-opened-window-glass of her van even lower.

       Minho wasn’t busying himself to take a look to the approaching car even though he was fully aware when the car was coming near him. But he gradually turned his head when he heard a voice greeted him. He found a girl there with that curious look, yet her lips curved to form a small smile.

        Pretty.

       He snapped out the thought as he realized that she was ‘that girl’ and then looked away, “None of your business!”

       “Yeah, you are right. This is absolutely not my business and so for you know, I was just planning to pass you by and just keep going on. But, comes to my second thought, seeing you like this in this kind of place…..” She trailed off. “…..I think I need to stop and check something here.” She added softly.

       Minho turned his head back to her, he looked at her weirdly but didn’t say anything. Soon, Soojung sensed that her sentence might sound weird to him. What was she actually trying to say?

       “Uhmm.., that’s…I-I mean….” She shuttered, brought her head down and knitted her eyebrows. Tried so hard to find a right excuse. She lit her head back right when she thought she had something good to say.

       “Well, as what as I see, it seems like you don’t have any flat tire problem, they are all look just fine for me, it also seems that you didn’t even try to check the engine before since the engine’s door is still closed. Hmm, the machine is also fine. So I can say that the problem is the fuel, right?” She spoke louder, indicated that she was more confident than before. “What to do, then? You know this is a suburb, it will be hard to find a gasoline stand around here. If I’m not mistaken, the nearest one is 2 Kilometers away from here. That’s far….”

       “Seriously, what are you trying to say, anyway?” Minho finally asked her. He couldn’t get the point of her long explanation, she just going around a cycle.

       Soojung shocked at his question but still managed to answer it. “You know… what I mean is…, yeah, you know your car is stuck here because of the fuel is off and the nearest gasoline stand is 2 kilometers away; you can’t even call that ‘near’, and you obviously need a ride home, don’t you? Well…., I can help you with that” She said the last words hesitantly but sincerely.

       Minho couldn’t hold his laugh. So that was what she actually wanted to say? Couldn’t she just say ‘Hey, you need a ride?’ from the beginning? Instead she kept touring him nowhere with her long speech. Was that really hard to offer a help? Silly girl.

       “No, thank you, miss. I’ve called my man, somebody’s going to pick me up here.” He answered.

       “Is that so? Not a good idea, though. I want to remind you just in case if you forget this; it needs not less than 2 hours to get here and it’s also getting dark soon. You don’t want to wait that long and be at home at the time when you should have been in dreamland, right?” Yah, what did she say? Did she try hard to convince him to come with her? Aisssshhh! There was no need for that. “Okay. You seems don’t mind waiting for 2 hours here. If that’s the case, I think it’s time for me to go. Bye, then.” She started turning on the engine when suddenly Minho surprised her.

       “Okay…, wait…., I mean…, I’m going with you. Could you give me a drive?”

       “Sure. Get in!”

       This is gonna take a very long road

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

       “So what makes you want to help me?” Minho started speaking while still kept looking at the view outside through the glass window on his right.

       “Hey, I’m talking to you, miss! Don’t you he… Hey! Aisshh! This girl really…” He widened his eyes as he turned his head to her direction and found that she had those earphones stuck on her ears, busying herself listening to something. Maybe some random songs? He then went near her and pulled out the earphones from her ears roughly.

       “YAH! What the….. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

       “I’m the one who should ask you that. What are you doing? I’m here talking to you, but you just ignore me like that, putting on these stuffs on your ears and enjoying your time by your own!”

       “First! Don’t touch my things! You just ruin my moment! And second, don’t blame me if I’m here enjoying myself. It’s been about 30 minutes already and there was nothing to be said. My van is as quiet as grave! What do you expect me to do then, mister?”

       “Well, at least now I’m trying to make a conversation here.”

       “Oh…okay. So what did you say?”

       “What makes you want to give me a drive? You don’t really like me, I guess?”

       “Why? Can’t I? I may be look so fussy to your eyes, but I’m not a bad one also. I never leave people who need help when I can help them.”

       “That’s all? You sure you don’t have any other reason?”

       “And what’s that other reason could be?”

       “Back to our short discussion a while before, possibly you found that I was right and feel guilty for your bad attitude toward me so far. So now, maybe it’s your way to say sorry?”

       “Do you only think about me negatively? Even a really bad person still have a good part inside, you know? I DO really want to help. So this is how you act to the person who has helped you?” She attacked him back.

       He jumped a little hearing her answer, felt like he’s been in this kind of situation before. Dejavu. Just the difference was that it seemed like they switched the position. Somehow he regretted saying something like that. He really shouldn’t say that. “…..No….I didn’t mean it that way. Sorry.” He paused. “And…thank you.”

       “Are you thanking me? You should’ve said that earlier. But that’s okay, at least you’ve thanked me now. So, we’re friends then?”

       “Friends?” He asked looking at her who looked straight the road focused on her driving.

       “Yes, let’s be friends!” She shifted her head and smiled to him.

       “Whoa! What’s with you? Didn’t I mishear it?” He said, completely shocked.

       “Why must you so surprised? What’s wrong with being friends?”

       “I really don’t understand you, how can a person changes so fast? Still remains in my mind the way you look at me nastily, how you will avoid me every time I came to your stall, and a while ago in the park you still acted arrogantly. But then you offered me a drive and now asking me to be friends. Are you planning on something?”

       It should sound more like a mock to her and she should be angry for that, but she laughed instead. She looked at his face expression and found it funny. “Everything you have in your mind right now, please thrown them away. I’m not a psycho who will set you up and kidnap you. Or the worst thing, maybe you think that I will take you somewhere, bully and kill you then leave you alone there?” She giggled at her own words. They sounded really ridiculous! “You watch too much drama, sir.” She ended.

       “Who knows? We can’t see people’s heart, right?”

       “Don’t say it like that. I really want to make friends here. I know how hateful I was, but this is the real me as you meet now. I don’t make war. What happened between us before was just a stupid misunderstanding. All I did was because I wanted to protect my father, but he kept telling me that you are a good guy. He likes you so much I think. And I must admit that the previous dialogue between us affected me. That’s right, we didn’t have any personal problem. There’s no reason for me to keep blaming you since the matter with my father has been cleared up and you have asked apology to him. As I think about it more, you’re not as bad as I thought. That’s why….”

       She didn’t finish her explanation, but Minho already understood her intention. He knew she really meant what she said cause he could catch sincerity in her sentences. He smiled and let a sigh. “I never thought you would speak to me like that. But, you’re not bad yourself as well.”

       “It’s a yes, then?” She asked excitedly.

       “You can say that.” He said, smiling.

       “Great! So we’re friends now.  Oh, right! Then I should introduce myself properly. You are Minho, aren’t you? Well, I’m…”

       “Soojung, right?”

       “Huh? You know me? How can?”

       “I already knew it the first time we met when your father warned you the moment you yelled your lung out on my face. I kept that name in my mind since back then. Even I remembered it as a mental note…” He stopped and suddenly frowned when he noticed Soojung popped her eyes out, looked at him amusingly as she mouthed ‘whoa!’.  “Not in a good way, of course!” He lastly added. He moved his head aside to hide his smile after seeing Soojung’s amused face gradually disappeared.

       “No matter what you say, I still take that as a good thing though. At least you paid attention to it. From now on, you can just call me Soojung. I don’t like it when you recognize me with your ‘miss’.”

       “Sure. And just Minho for me. I get sick every time you call me mister or sir. I’m not that old.”

       “Okay! No problem….., Minho.”

Finally! The 2nd chapter is updated! I'm such a lazy writer. It took like forever for me just to write a chapter. If there any readers who waited for this story, I'm sorry if I made you waited so long.

@minstal_1==> sorry, if I disappointed you. I tried to update earlier, but I just couldn't. =(

@periwinkleberry==> You want minstal? Here, I give you a full minstal chapter. hope you like it =)

@jungshinCNBlue==> is krystal and jungshin's surename the reason you asked me whether they are true brother and sister or not? well, all that i can say is; the moment you asked me to put jungshin in this fict, I really needed someone to be rolled as her brother and I found that Jungshin suited that part best! about the surename? jung soojung is pretty good, but Lee soojung doesn't that bad as well right? ^_^

@febrielia==> i hope that I'm taking too long time to update don't make you loss your curiosity toward this fic, dongsaeng. I really need your support. ~_~ Ah, you're right. the next chapters will full of minstal's interaction #I think it's good to end their fight here. kekeke.. =D

Well, everyone! enjoy reading! #and leave comments too... :)