“WHAT?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down!”

EunJi and JiEun looked at Mona, unsure whether to believe the girl was sprouting a lie or was genuinely telling the truth. Deciding that she was lying, they shook their head in the end. “You’re kidding.”

“No! Why would I kid about something like this?” Mona huffed. Why don’t they believe her? Maybe it was too surreal for their ears... Well, in all honesty, it sounded slightly absurd to hers as well.

“But but...” JiEun sputtered. “Since when?”

Mona smiled. “Last night.”

“Mona, you’re being serious with us right?”

“Oh my God guys! How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not joking?!” Mona exclaimed in exasperation.

The twins looked at each other before they turned to her. “So you and Simon are really... like together? As in... a couple?”

“YES! Since last night!”

“What did you say?” JiEun asked, a wide smile forming on her lips as realization finally dawned on her.

Mona stared at her strangely before she replied sarcastically. “I said no.”

“No?”

“Babo yah! Why the hell would I say no? I like that dude!”

“But Mona... you’ve never dated any of your crushes before...”

“I know! For some strange reason, it turns out that he likes me too.” Mona replied happily.

“Well then! We are very happy for you.” EunJi said, giving her a hug.

“Thank you.” Mona grinned. “But please... don’t tell the guys. They don’t know yet.”

“Oh, won’t Simon tell them?”

“No. He said he’ll leave it up to me. And I don’t plan on telling them until after we visit Dari oppa.” Mona said.

“Oooh... you haven’t told the big guy.” EunJi said knowingly.

“Yes, I haven’t. And I don’t want any of the guys to let it slip. So I’ll tell them afterwards ok?”

“Tell who what?” Simon suddenly said from behind her.

Mona turned around and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the seat next to her. “Oppa, how was gym?”

“Awesome. Youngwon is slowly looking good.” Simon replied. “So uhh... they know?”

Mona nodded her head and smiled at him, the twins watching with curiosity at the new couple. “Yeah, I just told them.”

“Great! I’ve been longing all day to do this.” Simon said and proceeded to kiss her cheek lovingly.

Mona blushed while the twins squealed. “Oh my goodness, you guys are so cute!”

“Oppa...” Mona said, the blush still evident on her face. “The guys might see us!”

Simon shrugged as he draped his arm lazily over her shoulder. “So? I don’t see how that’s a problem. If they do see us, we don’t have to hide anymore...”

“Oook... we’ll leave you two alone now.” EunJi said, tugging her twin’s hand.

“What? Why? It was just about to get interesting!” JiEun protested.

“Yah! You’re not watching a movie! Let’s go find the boys.” EunJi said and dragged her twin along with her.

Mona giggled at their behaviour. She was really glad she had them. She usually talked to the guys, but when it came to stuff like this, there was no one better than the twins. She bit her lip worriedly. She wanted to tell the others, but she was scared that they might let it slip to Dari that she now has a boyfriend. She had promised Dari that she wouldn’t get a boyfriend without his permission and it frightened her when she thought of how Dari would react if he knew... Dari was extremely and will always be overprotective of her... Maybe because he had seen her at her worst once...

“Hey... so I was thinking, we should have our first official date tonight.” Simon said, tugging a strand of her hair to make her look at him.

Mona turned her head in his direction and beamed at his suggestion. “Date?”

“Mmm... we haven’t really dated have we? I mean, we would have if not for that...”

Mona cupped his mouth with her hand. “Don't. Don't bring that up again. I feel awful as it is...”

Simon looked around, before he quickly placed a kiss on her lips. “Arasso... Miahn. I swear, I won’t bring it up again.” He said apologetically.

“Good. So... what do you have in mind for tonight?” Mona asked lightly. She will never get used to him kissing her. He liked to do it by surprise, something that he managed to do very well...  Ok, so they haven’t been kissing a lot, but she had already remembered everything about his lips. And she was over the moon every time she thought about them. It was so easy for her to talk to him now too without feeling shy or embarrassed. Why couldn't she be like this when they first met? Now, she could talk to him as freely as she talked to the other guys... except it’s more romantic with Simon...

“Hmm... Well, first we’ll go to dinner, at a different place this time,” He said, emphasizing different place. “Then we’ll go for coffee and a drive. I’ll send you back at midnight, and if I’m lucky, your dad might invite me to come in, or even sleep over. Once he’s asleep, I’ll creep into your room and we’ll talk until we fall asleep.” Simon said, deep in thought.

“Wow...” Mona said, surprised. “You’ve thought it out well.”

Simon shrugged before he burst into laughter. “I’m usually very good at planning. But not very good at execution.”

“Well then, I’ll make sure everything happens according to plan.” Mona said with a smile.

“Really? Even that part about me sleeping over?”

“That... is completely up to my father. I mean, if I beg, he’ll suspect something.”

“What? Like we’re going to do it?” Simon raised his eyebrow. “Like we’ll do anything with him in the house.”

“Oppa!” Mona blushed. How can guys speak about this so openly? Aren’t they embarrassed at all?

Doing it... Her cheeks reddened even deeper. It was very inappropriate. Yes, he was a y man, but... doing it? She shuddered inwardly. Not that she didn't want to, but she felt weird just thinking about it. She was an old-fashioned girl, and she wondered if he’ll accept that. Now was not the right time to think about it. Maybe when the time comes, she’ll tell him...

“Embarrassed?” He said, rubbing her cheek. “C’mon, I’ll send you home.”

They arrived at her house not a few minutes later and Simon put the car on parking before he turned to look at her. “So, I’ll pick you up tonight at 8. I’ll bring extra clothes with me, just in case...”

Mona giggled. “Sounds good to me.”

“Please... don’t ditch on me.” Simon said, giving her a puppy-eyed look.

Before she could stop herself, she leaned in and kissed him, catching him by surprise. The look on his face was too adorable for her to ignore. She wasn’t the type of girl to make the first move, but he looked way too cute.  When she pulled apart, she quickly looked away.

Simon laughed at her reaction. “What was that for?”

“Ahh... erm... Oppa, I’m gonna go in now. I’ll... see you later at 8.” Mona hurriedly replied. She opened the passenger door and ran as fast as she could before he could stop her. She screamed to her heart’s content when she was inside, feeling very giddy. That was a very bold move from her, and she still couldn't believe she initiated the kiss this time around...

“Are you sure about this?” Mona asked EunJi for the umpteenth time that night, as she stared at her reflection.

“Yes! I have to go now, but Mona, don’t you dare take it off!” EunJi threatened.

“But I feel so exposed!” Mona wailed, looking at the little black dress that EunJi had forced her to wear to Intae’s party. She had stashed it in the back of one of her drawers. How was she to know that sneaky EunJi explored all her drawers just to look for this one measly dress?

“The dress is just a little bit above your knees! And it has sleeves!” EunJi exclaimed before she walked out the door. “For crying out loud Mona, you look hot! Simon’s gonna love it. So don’t worry ok? Gosh!”

Mona waved goodbye at her friend before she combed through her hair, checking her reflection in the mirror once more. There was nothing else she could do to her appearance. EunJi had taken care of all of it. She wished she could get out of the dress. She thought she looked absolutely ridiculous.

She paced about the living room nervously, waiting for Simon to ring her doorbell. She wanted to bite her fingernails, but refrained herself doing so. The doorbell suddenly rang, and she took a deep breath, smoothing her dress for the last time. Plastering a smile on her face, she opened the door.

“Hey...” He said, his voice husky.

She almost had a heart attack. He was the only exception to the ‘no one’s perfect’ rule, because he was perfect, no matter what he was wearing. He had on a casual blazer over a plain black shirt, and a pair of dark jeans. She stared in surprise at his hair. “Oppa, you dyed your hair!”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect.” Mona said softly.

“But I don’t really think so...”

“You don’t?”

“It seems to me... that you are more perfect.” Simon said with a smile. “You look beautiful...”

Mona blushed at his words, silently thanking EunJi for forcing this dress on her tonight. Well, if he said she was beautiful, who was she to deny it?

Simon drove them to an elegant looking steakhouse. The waitress showed them to a table and Mona couldn't help but noticed the appreciative looks she was sending to Simon. She huffed loudly after the waitress walked away with their order, but not before throwing Simon another smile.

“What’s the matter?” Simon asked, concerned.

“Oh... erm, that waitress was annoying.” Mona stated simply.

“Why?”

“She was staring at you.” Mona said, before her eyes scanned the dimly lit restaurant.

“Hey...” Simon said, trying to catch her attention. “Jealous?”

“Of course not.” Mona replied sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. He obviously knew she was jealous, so what was the point of asking? Didn't he know that he was every girl’s dream guy?

Simon smiled to himself, enjoying the jealousy that was clearly portrayed on her face. She was being silly. So what if the waitress was staring at him? He had no eyes for anyone but her. Why couldn't she see that?

Deciding to ignore her sarcasm, he gestured to their plates of food that had just arrived. He noticed the waitress was trying to catch his attention, but waved his hand at her, asking her to hurriedly leave. He did not want anyone to ruin this night... “Do you like it?” He asked, after she had taken a bite of her steak.

Mona smiled and nodded her head. “It’s delicious. But oppa, this place looks expensive.”

“It is.”

“Oh... are you sure it’s ok?” Mona asked worriedly, stopping mid-bite.

Simon shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “Of course it is. It’s not like I’m paying.”

Mona almost spat out the piece of beef in , before she turned to him. “What does that mean?”

“What are you talking about?” Simon furrowed his brow in confusion. “Aren’t you paying?”

“WHAT?” Mona exclaimed in disbelieve. She dropped her fork and knife and dabbed . “Ok, we’re leaving.”

“Why?”

“Because... I can’t afford this!” Mona said through gritted teeth. “If you want me to pay, I can’t treat you to anything like this!”

Simon laughed and grabbed hold of her hand before she could leave her seat. He watched as she turned her confused eyes to him, and flashed her the most dazzling smile he could muster. “Sit. I was just kidding. I’m not that cruel. Why would I ask you to pay... on our very first date?”

“Oppa!” Mona said, sounding clearly relieved. “That wasn’t funny! I seriously thought I was paying! And I didn't have enough money!”

“Miahn!” Simon grinned, not sounding sorry at all. “I just wanted to see your reaction. Miahn.”

“Hmph...” Mona made a sound, returning to her plate of food. Well, since he was paying, she wasn’t going to complain. She will stuff her stomach until it burst.

They spent the rest of dinner just enjoying each other’s presence, and Mona ordering whatever she felt like ordering. It was payback for what he did earlier, and she couldn't be any happier when he didn't react to the large amount of money that was on the bill. Wow... Maybe he really was rich...

After dinner, they headed towards the nearby coffee shop, wanting to order a cup of coffee each. A couple sitting by the window caught Mona’s attention and she tugged at Simon’s sleeve, asking him to look.

“What are they doing here?” Simon asked, surprised.

“No no, that’s not the right question. The right question is, what are they doing here alone? Since when do they go out alone?” Mona asked, grabbing the coffee that he handed to her.

Simon noticed the look on her face and shook his head. “Let’s leave them alone. Tonight is not about them, it’s about us.”

“Oppa! We can’t leave them alone! They wouldn’t leave me alone about you. There’s no way I’m letting them go.” Mona said and dragged him to the table by the window, where their two friends were enjoying coffee.

“Hey guys.”

She watched in fascination as Youngwon spat out his coffee while JiEun blushed. The two of them stared at her wide-eyed before JiEun finally spoke up. “Mona! What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here? With Youngwon?” Mona asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Ah... erm... uhh... we were... just...” JiEun sputtered, something that she rarely did. She must’ve caused them quite a scare.

“You guys are on a date aren’t you?” Mona asked again.

“Ahh... erm... Mona yah...” Youngwon started nervously. The he noticed Simon standing behind her and stared at him in surprise. “Hyung, you’re here with Mona?”

Simon smiled, nodding his head. “Yeap. We’re on a date.”

“Really?” Youngwon asked, shocked.

“Youngwon! This isn’t about me and oppa, this is about you and JiEun. Are you guys on a date?” Mona repeated her question.

Simon grabbed her hand and dragged her away. She managed to tear her hand away and whispered furiously at the two. “Youngwon, I’ll keep this a secret, if you keep me and oppa a secret too!” She said before catching up with Simon. She wasn’t worried. She had something to blackmail him with if he ever decided to open his mouth about her and Simon to the others, especially Dari. She smiled. Wow... who would’ve thought? Youngwon and JiEun? No wonder she didn't want to come help her tonight. She wondered if EunJi knows...

“So, where do you wanna go now?” Simon asked once they were back in the car.

“Hmm... surprise me.” Mona replied with a smile. They went for a drive along the empty highway, talking about nothing in particular. Mona thought it was very romantic. He held her hand the whole time, it was dangerous but she liked it anyway, he smiled at her, and he flirted with her until she blushed crimson (she didn't think that was still possible). It was very dark in the car so she couldn't really make out anything but his pearly white teeth when he smiled at her, and it was a heart stopping moment every time it happened. They arrived back at around 12 and Mona peered at the house from the car before she turned to look at Simon, a smile on her lips.

“Daddy’s home.” She informed him. “And he’s still awake.”

“Great, let’s go.” Simon said with a grin.

Mona made her way to the front door. Before she could push it open, the door was yanked open from the inside, her father glaring at her furiously. “Mona! Where have you been? I called so many times but there was no answer! Why didn't you tell me you went out?!”

“Appa...” Mona said weakly. She was so excited to go on the date that she had forgotten to text her father to tell him that she was going out tonight. ... She was in big trouble... The prospect of letting Simon stay over was getting dimmer by the second...

“Sir... She was with me.” Simon spoke up from behind her.

Her father tore his eyes away from her and glanced at him, before a smile made its way onto his face. “Junho!”

Simon returned the smile with his own. “I’m sorry I didn't remind her to tell you. But she was with me the whole time... We went for dinner.”

“Were you kids on a date?” Her father asked excitedly.

“Appa!” Mona blushed. When in the world will her father stop embarrassing her? And wasn’t he angry with her just a few seconds ago? Wow, her father truly does like Simon!

“Hmph... Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m already late for my shift. Junho yah, can you stay over again tonight?” Her father asked. Distracted as he was with fixing his tie, he missed the gleeful looks they gave each other.

“Sure, why not?” Simon replied. Mona didn't miss the tone of his voice, and she discreetly shook her head at him, a smile playing on her lips.

They watched as he drove away before Simon turned to look at her. “Mission accomplished.” 

Chapter Posted on: Jun. 17. 2012

Wow! This chapter is SUPER LONG!!! Hahaha... Hope it's not dissapointing! =P Hahaha... As usual, don't forget to read and comment! I aboely love you guys!!! ^^