He pulled his phone from his pocket, checking the time before shoving his hands back into the warm pockets of his coat. It was only twenty minutes after eleven, but part of him was already panicking that she was going to stand him up. He had been nervous that she would be upset with him for arriving five minutes late, but she wasn’t standing in front of the store when he arrived.

Mornings were really not his thing, though technically daylight wasn’t supposed to be his active time anyway, but he had forced himself to wake up for their meeting. Nothing seemed to go right this morning, but he had still managed to get to the chosen meeting spot. So where was Su Ya?

Turning to look around at the bustling streets in front of him, he let loose a sigh of relief; Su Ya was hurrying in his direction. She wasn’t standing him up.

She seemed to notice him too as she approached, and a smile spread across her face. Breathing heavily, she stopped as she reached him, bending over momentarily as she tried to catch her breath. “Sorry I’m late; I live with my uncle and he wanted me to prepare lunch for him before I left…”

“It’s fine,” he replied, shaking his hands in a dismissive gesture. “I haven’t been here too long anyway.”

“Oh, okay good,” She mumbled, patting her cheeks to cool them. “I ran here, so I’m a bit of a mess…” She seemed embarrassed, but truthfully, he thought she looked adorable with flushed cheeks. He chuckled softly, causing her to look up at him, reddening even more.

“You look cute,” he smiled at her, enjoying her meek smile in return. She patted her cheeks one more time before putting her hands into her coat pockets.

“So um… Would you like to walk around first, or start with lunch and tour later?”

“Whatever you prefer works for me,” he replied, liking the shyness the girl was displaying. He was still amazed a girl would want to spend time with him, let alone one he found so attractive.

“Let’s walk around for a while and I can show you some of my favorite places, and when we get hungry or you see somewhere you want to stop, we can have lunch.” She glanced at him for confirmation, which he gave readily. “Okay, let’s go,” she smiled, removing her hand from his pocket and reaching for his. He stood motionless for a moment, just staring at her outstretched hand before coming to and sliding his palm into hers. She turned and started walking, pulling him along and he couldn’t help smiling like an idiot. He mentally slapped himself, getting so excited by just holding hands with Su Ya, but it had never happened to him before.

At age twenty two, Jiyong had never had a girlfriend. He had never held a girl’s hand, or kissed a girl either. With that, was a definite no for him as well. But as he followed the petite woman, he hoped he may have found the girl to accept him.

~*~*~

She led him around for more than an hour, pointing out all the places she liked to frequent, all the popular hang-outs, and all the little hidden gems the neighborhood had to offer. When they walked across a small burger stand Su Ya said she had “always wanted to try but had never had the opportunity”, he decided it was time for lunch. The smells wafting through the door helped make the decision easy. They found a booth by the window and waited for the waitress to make it to their table.

Before the server even made it to the table, the duo had chosen what they wanted to order, from drink to dessert. Su Ya and Jiyong talked quietly, joking around like old friends when Jiyong felt another presence join them, the waitress finally arriving at their table.

“Hello, I’m Junye. What can I get for you two?” The woman asked, giving Jiyong an evaluative look over her order-pad. He tried to ignore her eyes on him and motioned for SuYa to order first.

“I would like a cheeseburger with extra cheese and fries,” She started as the woman started to write. “And a banana milkshake.” Jiyong quirked an eyebrow at her, but just started his order at her grin.

“I would also like a cheeseburger, but can I get some jalapenos on it?” He asked, receiving a nod from Junye in response. “Okay, so the burger with extra jalapenos, fries, and a vanilla shake please.”

“I will go put these orders in,” the waitress said and she turned and left the table. He couldn’t shake the negative feeling the older woman had given him with her presence, even as she moved away from them.

“Extra jalapenos?” Su Ya was grinning at him, pulling his attention away from the waitress.

“I love spicy foods,” he shrugged, smirking, “and what’s this about a banana milkshake? I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who liked those…” She stuck her tongue out at him, giggling.

Feeling warm in the cozy little restaurant, Jiyong removed his coat, watching the girl across from him do the same. He left his soft cotton skullcap on though, not wanting to reveal his hair just yet and potentially scare Su Ya away.

The food arrived quickly, and they both tucked into it without a word. Jiyong smiled, loving that the cook had indeed put what appeared to be “extra jalapenos” on his cheeseburger, and from the looks of it, SuYa seemed to really be enjoying her meal.

Without noticing, he began to sweat, still responding to the heat of the restaurant more than anything, with the added heat of the peppers just exasperating the situation a bit. He hoped she wouldn’t notice, but sadly that wasn’t the case.

“Is it really that spicy?” she asked, staring at him with concern on her face.

“No, it’s exactly the way I like it. Bland foods have never been enjoyable for me, you know?” He smiled, hoping he seemed nonchalant enough. It was in his nature to like spicy foods, as it benefitted his “condition” when he consumed them. “The restaurant is just a little warm.” He tried to pass it off, hoping she would just drop it. He wasn’t ready to reveal much more about himself today…

“Well maybe you’d cool down if you took your hat off?” She suggested, looking hopeful.

“No-no, I’m fine,” he remarked quickly, “I’ll cool off when we head back outside in a few minutes.”

“Oh, umm… Okay then,” she whispered, and he felt a little guilty. She just tried to help, but he didn’t want to shock her.

The waitress strolled by, dropping off the bill on the table. Su Ya’s hand moved to take it, but he moved faster, picking it up and glancing at it. He smiled at her as he set it down, pulling the needed amount from his wallet, and setting it on the table. She watched, looking a little shocked but still smiling lightly at him.

“I can pay for myself you know…” she muttered, watching as the waitress returned, taking the bill and money with her.

“I know, but I wanted to repay you for showing me around all morning. You can do the tip if you want,” she nodded, tossing money onto the table before they both got up to leave. As he pulled his coat back on, Jiyong felt eyes on him and turned around, finding their waitress was watching him. She acted the way most people did with him, without knowing anything about him or even seeing any part of his true form, they judged him. He figured it was due to the energy he gave off; Daesung always said he had a strong energy force surrounding him, and if anyone knew, it would be his friend.

He tried to shake off the uneasy feeling she left him with as he followed SuYa out of the diner…

~*~*~

 “Hey, are we still on for tonight?” He read the text with a grin; as if he would willingly cancel and miss seeing her. He typed a quick response confirming their plans before setting his phone down and continuing what he had been doing. While he actually had very little to do, he felt antsy and kept searching for little tasks to fill his mind. Tonight, he decided, would be the night he would ask SuYa to be his girlfriend. His first ever girlfriend… No big deal, right?

He sighed, reconsidering his outfit choice for the hundredth time that afternoon. He was taking SuYa to dinner at their favorite burger place, the one they had been frequenting ever since their first time hanging out, when she had offered to give him a tour. While he had offered to take her somewhere nicer, she had chosen to go to their favorite spot and that was fine by him. The waitress still freaked him out a little, but for the most part, he was over it. Some people just didn’t like him, and he didn’t feel like finding the time to worry over that fact anymore.

Checking the clock on his dresser, he realized he had about an hour left until he was supposed to meet SuYa at the diner. Pulling his shirt over his head, he tossed it aside in favor of the new one lying on his bed. It was one he had worn once before when he was with her, and she said she loved it on him. The pants were his favorite pair of jeans, and new sneakers and a few necklaces completed the outfit. Finally he combed his unnaturally red hair before pulling on one of his ever-present knit caps to cover it. Deciding he was satisfied, he spritzed himself with the perfume he’d figured out she liked and exited his room, wallet and phone in hand.

Walking into the common room, he found Youngbae, his best friend, lounging on the couch, balancing his laptop on his knees. The other man’s eyes lifted from the screen and gave him a once-over.

“You look good, Ji. So I’m guessing tonight is the big night?” Youngbae grinned knowingly; he’d been the one to help convince Jiyong he should try asking SuYa to be more than just a friend.

Jiyong nodded, smiling and trying to avoid turning red. “Yeah, tonight is the night…” he muttered. “Any idea when sundown is supposed to be tonight?” Jiyong knew it would not be a smart idea to be outside his apartment come sundown.

His friend looked back down at his computer, typing and clicking a few times before answering. “Says here that the sun is going down at 7:52pm officially… I would shoot to be home by 7:30 then, just for safety sake,” he advised. Jiyong just nodded, setting a timer on his phone to go off at 7:20 to remind him to head home.

“Thanks man. I guess I will see you when I get home…”

“Mmhmm,” Youngbae mumbled, returning his attention to what he had been doing. “Have fun, and I expect full details when you get home!” He called as Jiyong walked out of the apartment. He chuckled, enjoying his friend’s enthusiasm.

Walking quickly, he found his way out onto the street, heading to the nearest flower stand. If he judged the time correctly, he would have enough time to pick up some daisies for SuYa before meeting her at the restaurant; he’d made sure to pay attention when she pointed out that they were her favorite flower.

Selecting a bouquet of daisies, he paid for them and continued on his way, hoping to beat her there. Arriving shortly after, he glanced around, not seeing SuYa. Perfect; he’d been wanting to give her the flowers upon her arrival and his plan was working out exactly as desired.

“Jiyong oppa!” he heard coming from somewhere off to his right, he spun around quickly, spotting SuYa smiling as she hurried over to meet him. She greeted him as she always did, panting as she tried to catch her breath. SuYa had a really poor concept of time and always seemed to be late for everything, which led to rushing, running, and eventually, panting. In anyone else, he might find it annoying, but in the petite woman before him, it was endearing. “I’m sorry I’m late oppa. Did you have to wait long?”

He chuckled, having gone through this exact same conversation already many times in the friendship, “No, I didn’t wait long. I’ve only been here a few minutes myself.” She nodded, smiling and adjusting her appearance. When she looked back at him, he pulled the flowers from behind his back, presenting them to her. “Here, I got these for you,” he smiled, hoping that didn’t sound too awkward.

Her face lit up and his heart started pounding; he loved making her happy. “Are these really for me?” She asked, taking them from him regardless and smiling even more when he nodded. “These are my favorite. I can’t believe you remembered that…” He shrugged, hoping his blush wasn’t too apparent. “So, umm…. Should we go in?”

“Sure,” he agreed, holding out an arm for her. He’d discovered early on that she loved acting like they were a couple, even if they weren’t actually dating… yet.

He followed her to their usual table in the corner, shifting ahead of her briefly so he could pull the chair out for her, just as his mother had told him to do when he was young. She beamed at him even more, and he had to take a deep breath to keep from losing his head and confessing right there. When a waitress appeared at the table, they ordered their usual meals, talking as normal as they first waited for the food then consumed it. Jiyong covered the entire bill, much to SuYa’s surprise, and quickly led her off to their next destination, enjoying her excited chatter along the way.

“Oppa…” She started, sounding confused as she seemed to realize he was still leading them after they’d walked for a while. “Oppa,” she repeated, shaking their conjoined hands. “Where are we going, oppa?”

He turned, smiling and winking at her, “Just trust me,” and continued pulling her along. “We’re close anyway.” A few minutes later, he stopped at a bench next to the river, the view of the late afternoon sun gorgeous over the water.

He led her to the bench, nudging her to sit as he attempted to ball up his courage to do what he wanted to do. He quickly glanced at his watch out of habit, noting the time before looking directly into her eyes.

“SuYa, I love spending time with you. You were the first friend I made when I moved to this neighborhood, and I definitely wouldn’t enjoy living here as much as I do now if I had never met you. I am lucky to be your friend, and I know that. But…” he stuttered, eyes locking with her gentle cocoa-brown eyes. He took a deep breath, maintaining the eye contact as he continued. “But I can see us being more than just friends. I want to be more than just your friend. Can you see me as more than a friend, SuYa? Do you see me as a man?”

The words spilled from his lips faster than he could control them, nerves starting to take over and get the best of him towards the end. But he patted himself on the back anyway, relieved he had at least revealed his feelings to her, opening the door to a relationship even if she didn’t see things the same way.

She sat motionless for a moment, glancing at the ground underneath the bench, lost in thought. He’d hoped for an instant reaction, or at least a facial expression that revealed whether or not she was thinking in a positive or negative line would have been nice, but he received nothing.

His mind started racing, hoping he wasn’t about to receive a really negative reply. “S-SuYa? We can just continue on as friends if you want. I’m sorry to push you if you do not see me the same way as I see you,” he tried giving her an out, hoping she wouldn’t take it and crush his heart.

She finally looked up at him, face almost completely devoid of expression. “Do you really want to date me, Jiyong?” She asked quietly, using his full name which she rarely did anymore and worrying him more. He nodded, hoping that was what he should do but growing unsure of everything. He waited as she seemed to ponder before another brilliant smile lit up her face. Leaping from the bench, he barely had time to react and catch her as she flew into his arms. “Okay oppa.” He smiled, laughing delightfully as he let it sink in that she’d actually agreed to his offer.

They continued hugging and laughing until her phone chirped, announcing her curfew. He walked her home, holding her hand and loving her constant happy-chatter. And as he turned for his own home, he smiled to himself. He, Kwon Jiyong, finally had a girlfriend and the reality of her was better than anything he’d ever come up with in his head…

Hey everyone,

Long time no see, right? Well I just got back from my vacation this afternoon, and I actually managed to find time to complete a chapter for all of you. It's even longer than the others, so I do hope you enjoy it.

In case you hadn't figured it out by this point, this is a continuation of Jiyong's flashback from the last chapter. His time with SuYa is not over yet, so don't worry, I'm not leaving it there, but I do think the next part will be current time. But we'll see... ;)

Anyways, thanks for reading and I would absolutely adore some suggestions/comments. :)