“You can be a calendar! Can I ask you for a date? Kekeke.” Yong Hwa told her before going out of the room.

“I’m busy.” She said as she walked pass him.

“Tss. She thinks too highly of herself.”

***

Shin Hye was about to go home when she suddenly received a call.

“Shin Hye-ya? Do you have extra money right now? I was about to pay for my bill when I realized my wallet is nowhere to be found. I’m afraid I have to wash all their dishes for me to pay them.”

The person on the other line sounded really in despair.

“Arasseo. Where are you?”

***

“Miss Park Shin Hye, your friend is waiting for you at table number four.”

She went straight to where the restaurant staff told her. The person sitting on the table is definitely not the one she talked to earlier. It was a guy. His face was covered with the menu card for he was busy taking a look at it. When the guy realized someone is already standing in front of him, he put it down and smirked.

“It worked! So, you’re my date for tonight? Kekeke. I thought you’re busy.”

 “I don’t have time to play flirting games with you. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going.”

I knew it. Dara is behind all of these! Why have I been fooled by her lame excuse?

Before she could turn her back, he was already holding her wrist. She glared at him.

“Let me go.” She said with composure.

“Relax. It’s not as if I’m gonna do something bad to you. Let’s try not to make a scene.”

“Then let me go.”

“OK. Just try to act civil for once. Food’s about to be served. Don’t worry. I’ll all pay for it.”

He let go of his grip. She calmly sat down on her seat, still throwing dagger looks at him. She let out a sigh and she’s back to her expressionless self again.

“You really fascinate me more than the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.”

“Huh! Do you even know that?” She said with scrutinizing look.

“Fine. You don’t have to slap right in front of my face that Math is something that’s different between us.” He was quite infuriated by her words.

“If you think those cheesy lines will work on me just as you did with your previous gazillion girls, well obviously, I’m not like them.”

“You think too highly of yourself. And whoa! Gazillion girls? Huh! You don’t know much about me yet.”

The tension is rising between them. Yong Hwa and Shin Hye are starting to raise their voices, a little, afraid that others will notice.

“I’m not. I’m just telling you the truth, you know. I’m just answering your questions straight and simple. And for your information, I, being the one who doesn’t care about the people around me, doesn’t mean that I don’t know what’s happening around me. Yeah right. The resident playboy. Huh! Most people think you are cool ‘cause you can get all the girls you want with just your stupid lines, but for me, you’re just one heck of a scaredy-cat afraid for his heart to be broken that’s why you go breaking their hearts instead. Only STUPIDS will believe your ‘cool’ acting.”

His ego must have been hurt. Their words seemed like knives that cut through their feelings, and even their hearts. But it’s too late to stop. The two of them are already in the heat for a battle of hurtful words.

“Look who’s talking! You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. OK. Well then, let’s JUST say you’re ALWAYS right, but I’m not the only coward in this table! You always show us that you’re strong and all and that you are thoughtless with the people around you. You treat people like they’re just some piece of dirt in your way. But the truth is, you are a WEAKLING! You just have these unbreakable walls that you built around you that even your cousin, who’s the only making an effort to get close to you, wasn’t able to penetrate. But inside those walls, is a fragile and vulnerable girl afraid of the outside. You are afraid that people will just hurt you and try to bring you down that’s why you made them be intimated by you instead of trying to get along with them. You think you can fool me, huh? Well, YOU WON’T.”

Shin Hye was still looking at him with rage and he’s also doing the same until the waiter came. They realized they have already said enough… or probably even went overboard.

“Here’s your order, sir, ma’am. Enjoy your dinner. By the way, any drinks you want?”

“Iced Americano.” They said in unison then looked at each other intriguingly.

 “Ok. It will be served to you in a moment.”

When the waiter was gone, they suddenly can’t look at each other in the eyes.

“Mianhae.” They both said in chorus. They really felt awkward.

“I didn’t mean to say that…” Before she could finish, Yong Hwa already spoke. He’s not really used to embarrassing girls.

“Me too. I crossed the line.”

“No, it’s me who should apologize. I was the one who insulted you with the Calculus thingy.”

“No, it’s me who started the fire. Guys shouldn’t fight with girls. Don’t worry. I’m fine. You’re right there about me anyway. I don’t even know what I’m talking about. What do I know about Math? Kekeke.”

He let out a lame laugh, but it was real. He was sincere in trying to lose the tension between them. She forced to make a smile but she just looked like stretching her lips. The both of them made a laugh. They don’t know why but they were just giggling while eating their food all night. Yong Hwa was the first to speak.

“So you liked Americano too, huh?”

“Ne.”

“I guess there’s one thing that we have in common now.”

She just raised her shoulders.

***

When she opened the door, she saw a man, quite in his early 50s wearing eyeglasses, sitting casually in the sofa while a reading a newspaper. By looking at him, no one would suspect that he owns the number one shipping company in Korea. It was her father, Park Jun Ho.

“Appa, you don’t have to fake reading a newspaper in the middle of the night. I know you’ve been waiting for me.”

“Ara. I have been caught. Dara told me you’re with Jung Yoo Sang’s youngest son… erhmm Jung… what’s his name again?”

“Jung Yong Hwa.”

“So, how was it? Did you two get along well?” His eyes look hoping for a positive answer.

“He’s… bearable.”

“Mwo? Bearable? What do you mean?”

“I don’t like him but I don’t hate him either.”

***

“Where have you been?” Yong Hwa saw his father standing in front of the door. His voice noted a rising temper.

“Just had dinner with a girl.”

Yong Hwa’s relationship with his father is not that good. He thinks that his father is being too strict to him. He somewhat hated him for always pointing it out to him his wrong doings.

“Yeah right. That was expected. It’s like you’ve only been living to go out with girls.”

“She’s… different.”

“Oh really? How can you tell she’s different from the others if you can’t even remember all those girls you hooked up to?”

“I’m tired. Can you just continue preaching me tomorrow Father?” He was about to go upstairs when his father continued talking.

“By the way, dress properly tomorrow. We’re going to meet someone very important.”

“Tss! If it’s about our business, I’ll tell you for the nth time that I’m not interested.”

“Well, it’s partly business. But bigger part of it is about you, and your FUTURE.”

“Like what? A fixed marriage?! Kekeke. Don’t make me laugh Appa. You probably just needs some sleep. I’ll go first, ok?”

He was shaking his head as he went to his room.

Was he really joking? Aish! Maybe I’m just thinking too much. Maybe I should just come tomorrow to see for myself.

“Aigoo! This child! When will he ever obey me?”

________________________________________________________

Sorry for keeping you wait for a long time. I’ve been busy here and there going out with my friends fangirling Vampire Diaries’ Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and Joe Jonas of Jonas Brothers. They came here in the Philippines. Kyaaa~! I’m just disappointed I wasn’t able to see Leighton Meester of Gossip Girl and Mario Maurer in the runway ‘cause I didn’t have tickets. T.T Anyways, I hope you liked this chap. I wanna read your comments. :)