He leaned down to reach my height -- how was he so tall? -- and brought his face as close to mine as he would dare. I held my breath and bit my lip, suddenly nervous. Why did he have to be so close?!

“Noona,” he said with a playful smirk, his deep voice smooth and soothing. He usually smiled with all of his teeth, with the same energy as a happy, little boy. But not this time. I was getting a different vibe from him this time. This time he did not seem like a little boy at all; this time he seemed like such a man. I had been feeling this way about him a lot lately, and I wasn’t sure that I liked it.

So I pushed him away. “Ya, what do you think you’re doing?” I fumed as he pretended to stumble backwards, laughing as he did so. All it took was his big laugh with all of his teeth showing to make him look like a little boy again.

Yet I noticed that despite this childish exhibit, my heart continued to race. And I was sure that I didn’t like that at all.