Eun Hae’s POV

Oh wow, the waiter Zico, is Jaehyo’s friend? What a small world this world is becoming. First Kai and Daeseul knew each other, then Kai and Lu Han both came from the same planet — and now Zico the waiter is Jaehyo’s friend.

Zico looked up at me and grinned when he recognized me. “Hey, it’s you!” he exclaimed excitedly, pointing a finger in my direction.

Everyone looked back and forth between the both of us in confusion, wondering how we could possibly know each other.

“You guys . . . know each other?” Jaehyo asked.

Zico whirled to his friends. “Guys, this is her! The girl I was telling you about!” he told them and I blushed. He told them about me? “This was the hot chick I was telling you guys about the other day, remember?”

Hot chick?

He thinks I’m hot?

Daeseul looked at me strangely. “You guys met before?” she asked me curiously. She looked at Zico. “She’s my best friend,” she explained and he nodded.

I shrugged. “He was the waiter at the restaurant,” I explained. I looked at her and grinned guiltily. “I was on a date with Kai Oppa.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know how to read the expression on her face.

Zico came up to me, grinning from ear-to-ear. I looked into his eyes and grew instantly shy. Wow, he’s even cuter from up close. He smiled warmly at me and took my hand. “I can’t believe I get to see you again,” he said. “I’m Zico, as you would have known.” He frowned. “Your boyfriend didn’t seem to be very happy.”

I shot Daeseul an exasperated look before saying, “Ah, anni, he’s not my boyfriend. I just went on a date with him,” I quickly said.

“So you’re not taken?”

P.O and Kyung sniggered and began nudging each other. B-Bomb whacked them on the heads and they pouted.

I thought about Lu Han. We’re not exactly dating . . . no, we weren’t even dating at all.

“Well . . .” I said slowly.

He laughed. “Excellent!” he said, clasping his hands together, laughing gleefully. His laugh was filled with joy and ease. “Then I guess nobody will mind if I do this.” Zico leaned forward and shamelessly planted a kiss on my cheeks.

I reeled back, surprised that a stranger who barely knew me could be so courageous to kiss me like that. If it was someone I have never met before, I would have made sure he could never celebrate Father’s Day. But when Zico kissed me, I was taken aback and I just stood there, frozen.

U-Kwon laughed. “It looks like someone’s found his special someone,” he remarked and slapped low-fives with Taeil.

Jaehyo sighed. He looked at his step-sister. “I’m taking that the two of you are going to be hanging around here with us?” he asked.

Daeseul nodded. “I hope you don’t mind.”

He shrugged, not really caring. “Just don’t get drunk,” he replied and settled himself on the couch. “You’ve got school tomorrow. I don’t want the principal calling me saying that you have a major hangover and that you shouldn’t be drinking when you’re still in school, even if you’re already eighteen.”

That was now definitely the longest sentence I had ever heard Jaehyo saying in all the years I’ve known him. Wow, he can talk!

“Awesome,” Zico said and he took my hand. He dragged me to the couch and plopped down, making me sit down next to him. I could smell his manly cologne. It smelled really good, to be honest. He turned to me and smiled. “So, tell me about yourself, beautiful. How could I have not met you a long time ago when you have been best friends with my best friend’s step-sister?”

“What best friend of mine are you?” Jaehyo scowled.

Zico ignored him and the others turned the television on to play some video games while Daeseul walked into the kitchen to get some drinks out for us to drink. I wanted to go and help her but he had his arm around my shoulder.

Gosh, he’s so . . . smiley, it was kind of cute.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s because you were blind,” I decided to flirt back. What harm could it cause?

He laughed like I had said the funniest thing in the world. I liked how he seemed to be so laid-back and carefree. “Aww, shucks!” he feigned hurt, his eyes twinkling with excitement. “I guess I am blind! I’ve been blinded by your beauty.” He reached out and my cheek with a finger. “So soft,” he murmured.

Daeseul came out carrying cans of beer. I eyed it warily. I knew that Daeseul drinks, especially with her brother and his friends around. But she’s the type of girl who knows her limit so she doesn’t drink excessively and get drunk really fast. I, on the other hand, had never tried alcohol before. Yongguk and Himchan used to drink but they never let any of us to drink.

They said that we weren’t old enough.

As everyone passed a can of beer around, I desperately looked at Daeseul, who was the one counting how many beers to pass around. She stopped as soon as she saw Zico getting a can. Zico turned to pass to me but I smiled meekly and shook my head.

“You don’t drink?” he sounded surprised and everyone turned their heads. Only two people other than me didn’t look surprised. Obviously Daeseul would know that I don’t drink and I guess Jaehyo guessed as much.

“Why not?” B-Bomb asked.

“That might actually make you fun,” Taeil said, taking a big chug of his beer. He smiled. “Ah, refreshing.”

“Give her a break,” Daeseul snapped. “If she doesn’t want to drink, then she’s not going to drink.”

Zico looked at me. “Sorry about my friends.” He jerked his thumb toward his friends who were now opening another can of beer.

B-Bomb put his can down and moved to sit in front of the television, taking a controller. “Yo, who wanna fight with dah Bomb?!” he asked, glancing around the room with that challenging look.

“Dude, you’re going down,” Taeil laughed as he sat down next to him. P.O, Kyung, Jaehyo and Daeseul settled around them and watched as the two of them began to have a match-off in a fighting game.

Next to me, Zico chuckled lightly, taking another sip of beer. He glanced at me. I was very aware of his gaze and his fingers gently strumming on my arm, making the hair at the back of my neck stand. He leaned forward the same time I turned to ask why he was staring at me.

And then our lips met briefly.

I pulled back quickly and he seemed surprised to have suddenly kissed me. I looked down, embarrassed. “Uh, maybe I should go,” I started to say. I removed his arm from around my shoulder and started to stand up.

“No, wait!” he cried out, holding my hand to stop me from leaving. “Please, I’m really sorry. I didn’t do that on purpose.”

I looked at him and believed him. I could see the sincerity in his eyes. I scratched the back of my neck. “It’s getting late, though,” I pointed out.

“I’ll walk you home,” he promised. “Please.” He stood up and took my hands. “If you feel uncomfortable like that, why don’t we head to the kitchen and have a chat? You know, get to know each other a little?”

I hesitated but then I nodded.

He took his beer and the two of us walked into the kitchen. We sat on the dining table in the middle. He sat at the head of the table and I sat on his right side. He smiled at me and I smiled back. Zico seems nice.

“Eun Hae-sshi,” he said, “tell me about yourself.”

I never did liked being asked this question so I smiled back at him, my mind forming an idea to divert the conversation from me. “I’ll answer if you tell me first,” I replied with a sneaky smile.

He laughed and shrugged. “Sure.”

He told me about his life. He was a rich boy, coming from a wealthy family. He was happy with the way he lived. His parents, although extremely busy, always have the thinking that family is important so they would always try to have dinner together. He wasn’t the only child. He had two sisters, one older and one younger. He was the middle child, and the only son. He graduated from school in Kangnam before he moved over to Seoul for college, where he met Jaehyo and the others.

Telling me about his family made me really envious.

By the time he was done, I had my head down, thinking and wishing that my life was just as great as his. When he was done, I faked a laugh and said, “Wow, it sounds like you have a nice life.”

He grinned humbly. “I’m okay with it,” he replied. He looked at me. “Your turn.”

I shrugged. “There really isn’t much about my life,” I replied. I smiled. “Sorry, but I don’t know you well enough to tell you.”

He shook his head but he was smiling. “You’re playing hard to get, aren’t you?” he asked with a smile. “Haha, okay, it’s fine.” He looked at me. “You’ve seriously never, in your life, tried alcohol before?”

I nodded. “Never.”

He passed his can of beer over to me as if he was challenging me. “Now’s the chance.” He flashed me a smile. He scrutinized my face as I deliberated.

I hesitated. I’ve always wanted to taste how alcohol tasted like. But I’ve heard stories of how beer can make you tipsy and drunk and do stupid things. I didn’t want to be tempted into that.

“It’s only one sip,” he reassured me. “Just try it.” He gave a light chuckle. “Or are you a chicken?” he said, almost tauntingly.

I stared him down. “I’m not a chicken.”

He clucked his tongue. “So prove it.” He smirked.

I took the beer into my hands and looked at it. It was still cold, with its condensation melting into my warm palm.

“Buck, buck.”

I glared at him and he grinned innocently. I raised the can to my lips, doing my best not to wrinkle as the first taste of the cold, sour-tasting beer hit my tongue.

Zico cheered for me. “All right! You just had your first taste of beer!” he said, pumping his fist into the air. He grinned at me.

I smiled, feeling slightly woozy. I drank quite a big sip. I grinned at him when I put the can of beer down on the table. “That was great,” I said.

He smirked and got up. He walked over to the fridge and got out another can of coke. “You can have mine, since it’s half finished,” he said, popping the drink and taking a huge swig from it. He came over and sat down. He raised his beer.

I raised mine and clunked it with his, giggling. Then I took another sip, a bigger and longer sip. When I gulped, I felt this new feeling overpowering me. I felt so alive, so relaxed, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had fun.

We began having a contest to see who could stand drinking the longest. Of course it wasn’t fair since he had been drinking longer than I had. When my can was empty, he got me another one (he was already down to his third can of beer) and we continued the contest. I looked at him and let out a high-pitched laugh. “Your face is red!” I said, my words slurring.

“Your face is red too,” he said, poking my cheeks. He laughed and took another sip.

“Yeaahh!!” we heard a scream coming from in the living room.

I cocked my head there. “Ah, sounds like the party is going wild,” I laughed. Why am I still here when I could be enjoying myself? I stood up, nearly falling as I lost my balance. “Whoa there!”

Zico shot out of his seat quickly to steady me, catching me by the waist just in time. I wrapped my arms around his neck to support myself. I looked up to him and saw that his face was so close.

“Whoops,” I giggled. “My bad.”

Zico didn’t say anything as he drew his lips near to mine. As I closed my eyes, all I could remember were his hands roaming around my body, his tongue dancing wildly in my mouth as my fingers buried themselves into his hair, pulling him closer for a deeper kiss.

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Ohdear.

Eun Hae's drunk ._.