Yonghwa looked around carefully to see if anyone was watching him.  He had to make sure no one spoiled his plans today.  Seeing  that everything was clear, he bent down and released the cap from the back-wheel of the pink bicycle.  A hissing sound came out as air was released.  After a few seconds, he recapped the valve.  He tested the tires and bent down again to release more air.  This was crucial to his plans for today.  Opportunity had come up, and he was going to take advantage of it.  It was now or never.

“Oppa!”

Yonghwa nearly jumped out of his skin as Hyun’s bubbly greeting shocked him out of his concentration.  He quickly recapped the valve and plastered a smile on his face.

“Hyun-ah, you’re here!  Finally!” he said, genuinely pleased at her arrival.  She looked so cute and adorable, with her hair in pigtails again.  She was wearing a pale yellow, off-shoulder summer dress that fell down to just above her knees.   A straw hat covered her head, her hair falling down in waves that fluttered in the wind.  Her feet were encased in strappy flat sandals.  His heart fluttered as he took in the bright smile on her face.

He was going to make sure his plans went well today.

“Oppa!  Where are we going?!  Whoah pink bicycle! Is that for me?!  That’s so cute!”  Seohyun gushed.  Yonghwa chuckled to himself, pleased at her bubbly outburst.

He pushed the pink bicycle towards her and pressed the bell.  Seohyun clapped her hands and jumped in place.  She seemed really excited for today’s date.  She took the handlebars from him and rang the bell as well.  Yonghwa laughed at the clear delight that shone on her face.

“Wait up, here’s a bonus,”  he said as he took something from the back pocket of his jeans.  Seohyun giggled as he held up 2 pink ribbons with a huge grin on his face.  He tied one on each handlebar and stood back to look at his handiwork.

“Oppa, how do I look?”  Seohyun asked as she positioned herself on the bicycle.

Yonghwa sighed and covered his eyes.

“Aigoo, so pink and bright!?  My poor eyes~” he said as he exaggerated.

“Let’s go oppa!”  Seohyun burst out excitedly and started to pedal off.

“Yah, wait for me!”  Yonghwa called out as he ran to his own bike and hopped on.

“Yah, Seohyun-ah, you don’t even know where we’re going!?  Seo Joohyun!!!”

Seohyun laughed as she sped up , holding one hand over her hat to keep it from flying away.  Yonghwa stood up on his pedals and leaned forward, pedalling faster to catch up with her.

He finally caught up with her, and she turned to give him a bright smile.  He smiled back as they both settled themselves to a more relaxed pace.

He couldn’t wait for the rest of the events he’d planned.

Seohyun raised her face up to the sky, taking in the warmth of the summer sun.  She closed her eyes and felt the soft touch of the gentle breeze.  She enjoyed this kind of stuff, and she was really glad she was doing it with Yong oppa.  She was going to make sure today would be a memorable one.

Yong leaned back on his bike and watched as Seohyun weaved from left to right.  She was humming to herself, pointing out a flower or a bird from time to time and laughing loudly with excitement.  He took out his phone and took a short video.  It was a scene he’d love to watch over and over again.

He wanted to see her like this every day, happy and carefree, just as she deserved to be.  He’d give anything to see her like this for the rest of his life.

Yonghwa stopped his bike as it dawned on him, loud and clear, like a shot of lightning in the sky.

I think… I THINK… I want to marry you, Joohyun-ah.

The corners of his lips went up ever so slightly, and a glint came to his eyes.  He rushed off to catch a girl’s heart.

******

“Try to catch me Seohyun-ah!” Yonghwa taunted as he sped past her.  She snapped out of her dreamlike trance and looked at Yong wide-eyed.  She glared at him and put on a determined expression.

“Don’t think I can’t, oppa!” she called out, pursing her lips and flaring her nostrils.  She started pedalling faster.

Yonghwa turned his bicycle around and started pedalling backward.

“Oh yeah?!  Catch me then!!!”  he taunted again, weaving from side to side.

“Yah, oppa, this isn’t snowboarding, but how come you’re still good at going backward?!”  Seohyun wailed as she tried to catch him.

Yonghwa suddenly braked as she caught up with him.  He planted his hands on her handlebars and leaned towards her, getting as close to her as possible.  She leaned back as she realized what he was doing.

“It’s ok if you can’t catch me right now, Seohyun-ah…”  he whispered, looking into her bright, sparkling (now anxious) eyes.

“It’s too late anyway… ‘coz I’ve already fallen…”

With a sudden flip, he turned his bicycle around and pedalled fast, leaving her behind.

Seohyun’s jaw dropped as things slowly started to sink in.  She didn’t know if he meant what she thought he meant, but it still left a giddy feeling at the pit of her stomach.

She smiled and followed.   She needed to catch up.  She needed to catch him.

“Whoah, whoah oppaaaaa~”

“OPPAAAAAAAA!!!”

Yonghwa turned around, his eyes widening as he saw Seohyun’s bike wobbling.

He’d forgotten about the tires!

He quickly rode back to where Seohyun was struggling to balance herself on the bike.  She finally came to a stop on the roadside.

“Seohyun-ah, are you alright?!”  he asked as he let his own bike drop to the ground as he ran to Hyun’s side.

“I’m ok, oppa.  I think something’s wrong with my tires, and I was going too fast, so I lost balance,”  Seohyun explained.

“Look at you, you’re the one who almost crashed, but you’re reassuring me?!”  Yonghwa teased, trying to calm down his racing heart.

Man, that was a close call. I didn’t think this through,  Yong thought, irritated at his own stupidity.

“Oppa, my tires are flat!?”  Seohyun gasped as she bent down to observe more carefully.  She stood up and pouted her lips.

“This is so unfair,” she sighed, crossing her arms on her chest.

Yonghwa began to feel guilty, but he couldn’t help smiling at her actions.  She really didn’t know that she was too cute sometimes.

He bent down and pretended to inspect her tires.  He knew exactly what was wrong, but he couldn’t let her find out.

“Aigoo, aigoo, sorry Hyun-ah, your tires are really flat,” he said as he straightened up.

“Oppa, what do we do?!”  Seohyun whined, clearly distressed with what happened.

“Well, we have to leave it here.  You can’t ride it, you’ll just get into another accident,” Yonghwa said, pretending to think.

“But it’s a beautiful bike…” she began to wail.

“We’ll chain it up to a tree, Hyun, and come back to get it.  You can just get on the bike with me,” Yonghwa said nonchalantly, though his heart was beating rapidly again.

Seohyun bit her lower lip and tried to think.  Yonghwa held his breath as he waited for her answer.

“Well, we could just go back home…,”  she began to say.

Yonghwa’s heart fell to the ground, disappointed.

“But then, we’re already here…,” she continued.

Yonghwa watched as his heart slowly got up from the ground.

“Okay!  I guess it will be fun, oppa!  Let’s go!”  she finally said, clapping her hands again.

Yonghwa’s heart leaped back up into his chest, and he began to breathe again.

“Okay!  Get on, Seohyun-ah!” he grinned as he picked up his bike and got on.  He turned and saw her tinkering with the pink bike’s handlebars.  She turned around and raised her hands, holding the pink ribbons.

Yonghwa raised his eyebrows.  Seohyun gave him puppy eyes.

“Aigoo… arasseo…”  Yonghwa drawled, giving in.

“Yey!  Thank you oppa!”  she clapped with glee as she proceeded to tie the ribbons on the handlebars of his ten-speed mountain bike.

“Now your bike’s pretty, too!” she said, clearly teasing him.  Yonghwa just chuckled in response.

“Just get on Hyun-ah!” he growled playfully.  She ran to his back and sat on the backseat covered with a soft cushion.

“Okay let’s go!” she cheered.

“Yah, you better hold on to me, we’re going through a rocky trail,” Yonghwa instructed as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

“Eh?! I’m fine oppa, I can hold on to the seat,” she answered.

Yonghwa paused in folding, then suddenly started off.  The jerking surprised Seohyun, and she grabbed his waist as she tried to keep from falling.  Yonghwa grinned widely as he continued to pedal.

Seohyun started to feel embarrassed, so she started to remove her arms from his waist.

“Just keep them there, Hyun-ah.  They’re supposed to be there,” Yonghwa said as they continued along.

Seohyun smiled shyly as she kept her arms around him.  He felt so warm and cozy, and she could smell his scent.  She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.  She could do this forever.

******

“Oppa~”

“Hmmm?”

“Oppa?!”

“Wae?!”

“Oppa, I think I’ve seen that tree before… and that rock… and that bush…”

“How can you be so sure about that?  They all look the same to me!”

“Oppa, are we lost?”

“NO! I mean, of course not.  I was a Boy Scout, we don’t get lost,” Yonghwa said confidently.

“I finally got it, let’s go!”

******

“Oppa!”

“NO WE’RE NOT LOST!”

Seriously, where are we?!  Yonghwa thought as he suddenly began to feel perspiration trickling down his neck.

He looked at the map and even turned it upside down.  He just needed to figure out where they were and then they’d be alright.

“Oppa, do you need help?”  Seohyun asked as she stood up from her seat on the grass.

“No, we’re fine.  Just need to find the right coordinates…,” Yonghwa replied, looking at the map carefully.

“Uhmmm, oppa, we’ve got a bit of a problem…,”  Seohyun started to whisper.

“There’s no problem, Hyun-ah, I can handle this,”  Yonghwa reassured her.

A big, fat drop of water fell on the map he was holding.  A flash of lightning lit up the summer sky.  Yonghwa whipped around and looked up.

You have got to be kidding me!?!  A sudden thunderstorm? Today?!  Yonghwa wanted to throw a fit.  Nothing was going according to his plans.

“Oppa~”  Seohyun stopped as the raindrops started to fall faster.

“Oppa, let’s go!”  she called out as she tried to pull the dazed Yong.  He wouldn’t budge, so she kicked him in the shin.

“Aarrggghhh!!!  Why’d you do that?!”  Yong growled as he hopped on one foot while rubbing his shin.

“Let’s get out of here, the rain’s falling heavier now, oppa let’s go palli!”  Hyun commanded as she pulled him again.

Yong finally picked up the bicycle and ran away with Hyun towards the big trees.  He was beating himself up inside.

THIS IS NOT GOOD!

Seohyun took out a shawl from her bag and tried to cover herself and Yong oppa from the rain. Yongwa dropped the bike against a tree and took the shawl from her, raising it high to shield both of them from the rain.

They ran as fast as they could through the trees, trying to find shelter from the downpour.

“I’m so sor—“ Yonghwa tried to say as they ran.

“Oppa, let’s just find shelter ok?!”  Seohyun said, waving away his apology.  She pulled his sleeve and ran faster.

They finally came upon a small abandoned hut in the middle of a clearing.  They went in after making sure nobody was inside.

Yonghwa shook out his wet hair like a dog.  He hung the wet shawl on the back of a broken chair he found inside.  The only other thing inside the hut was a folded blanket in the corner.

He watched Seohyun as she tried to dry herself up.  Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes were plastered to her body.

Yonghwa turned around and gulped.

This is no time to be a ert, you idiot!?

He rummaged in his backpack and took out an extra shirt.  He always brought an extra shirt.  He turned back to give it to Seohyun.

“Hyun-ah, you’d better take off your clothes—“

Seohyun gasped and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Ehh?! Oppa!!!”

Yonghwa felt himself blush all of a sudden.  It was a good thing it was a bid dark inside the hut.

“Yah, Joohyun-ah, what do you think I am?!” he retorted.

Well, you are a bit of a ert, you fool!  Yonghwa thought to himself as he held out the shirt.

Seohyun suddenly laughed.

“Arasseo, I was just teasing you.  But oppa, you’re wetter, I think you need that shirt more than I do.  Go ahead and change.”

“I’ll be fine.  You might catch a cold.  Here, go change,” he insisted, pressing the dry shirt into her hands.

“I won’t look, I promise,” he reassured her and turned around.

“Uhmmm oppa—“

“You’re done?”

“Oppa, I’m wearing a dress, so…”

It finally dawned on him what her dilemma was.  The shirt was a short one.

He decided to laugh off the awkward situation.

“Arasseo, I guess we’ll both stay wet, then?  Let’s just use it as a towel and try to get as dry as possible,” he finally said.  He went to the corner and shook off the folded blanket.

“Here Hyun-ah, we can sit here for now,” he said as he arranged the blanket on the floor.  He watched as Seohyun took off her wet shoes and sat down on the blanket, her legs tucked in beneath her.  She looked like a wet mouse.

Yonghwa sighed.

“Hyun-ah, I’m really sor—“

Seohyun raised a hand and stopped him before he could continue.

“Oppa, I don’t want to hear any apologies. I’m fine,” she said, smiling warmly at him.

“Besides, I’m actually enjoying our misadventure,” she added, a sparkle coming into her eyes.

Yonghwa stared into those bright eyes and fell all over again.

Get a grip, maaaaan!?

“Give me that shirt, I’ll help you dry you hair,” he offered as he kneeled beside her.

“Really?  Hmmm, you first, coz your hair’s shorter,” she said, turning in her seat to face him.  She looked so happy, Yong just simply let her do it.

Her hands were very gentle as she dried his hair.  She giggled as he shook his head again like a dog.

“Oppa, stop it,” she laughed as he started making puppy sounds.  He looked up at her and their eyes locked.  She smiled as she pat his wet face with the dry shirt.

Seohyun could feel her heart race as she felt Yong’s eyes staring at her as she dried his hair and face.  She felt her face heating up.

“Okay, my turn oppa.  I’ll dry my hair now,” she said, turning around and started working on her hair.  Yonghwa’s hand shot out from behind and took the shirt.

“It’s MY turn, Hyun-ah.  Let me do it,” he whispered.

Seohyun closed her eyes and gulped.  His hands were gentle as he worked on drying her hair.   She felt him loosen her pigtails and let her hair fall down completely.  His fingers combed through her hair as he rubbed it with the shirt.  He gently massaged her scalp as he did.  She let out a soft sigh.

“Hmmm, your hair is so beautiful, Seohyunnie,” Yonghwa murmured, raising a lock of hair and breathed in its scent.  He leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

“You’re so beautiful, Hyun-ah.”

Seohyun felt a shiver run down his spin, and she wasn’t even feeling cold.

“Oppa~” she started to say when Yonghwa turned her around by her shoulders.  He looked into her eyes, and she could feel the heat coming from those eyes.  They stared at each other for a while; one unsure, the other also questioning.

Yonghwa tilted her chin up with his finger.  He swallowed as Seohyun unconsciously her dry lips.  He leaned closer as she closed her eyes.

“I think… I’m going to kiss you now,” he whispered as he was a mere inch away from her lips.

Seohyun pursed her lips together as she kept her eyes closed.  Ever so gently, she nodded.

Yonghwa closed in and placed his lips on hers.  He shivered slightly as he felt her soft lips tighten.

“Relax Seohyun-ah,” he whispered.  He began kissing her again, moving his lips against hers, coaxing open.

Seohyun kept her eyes shut as she concentrated on the kiss.  The problem was, she couldn’t concentrate.  Yonghwa’s scent was giving her a heady feeling, and his lips against hers was pure magic.  She placed her palms against his chest and felt the heat burning through the wet shirt.  Her fingers tingled.

Yonghwa’s arms crept around Seohyun’s waist as he pulled him closer to him.  Her palms were on his chest, and they were giving him crazy sensations.  He kissed her gently, his mouth slanting over hers again and again.  He tongue with his, tasting her.

Seohyun moaned at the sensations his tongue was creating.  She began to feel lightheaded.  Yonghwa oppa sure knew how to kiss a girl senseless.

“Hmmm so this is how you taste like, Hyun-ah,” Yonghwa whispered against her lips, his breathing a bit heavy.

“Hmmm…” Seohyun responded, not able to form any words in her brain as she continued to kiss back.

“Tastes so sweet… like… like… goguma,” Yonghwa whispered again, nibbling on her lower lip.

“Hmmm… gogu—“  Seohyun stopped as the cloud quickly cleared up from her brain.  She opened her eyes and stared into the laughing eyes of her oppa.

“Ya, oppa!?” she cried out, slapping his chest.  Yonghwa couldn’t stop himself and finally laughed out loud.  He fell on his back on the blanket, bringing Seohyun with him, as he continued laughing.

“Oppa, seriously!” she continued to whine as she tried to get out of Yonghwa’s embrace.  He continued laughing but tightened his arms around her.

He soon got a grip on his laughter and looked at her.

“You’re just too adorable for your own sake, Seohyunnie,” he said, smiling at her.  They were lying on their sides now, facing each other.  Yonghwa pulled her even closer in his arms as she tried to pull back.

“Ssshhh Hyun-ah… Stay.  Please,” he whispered.  Seohyun finally stopped struggling.  “I think… this is the best place for you,” he continued.

Seohyun waited a few seconds before speaking.

“In your arms?” she whispered.

Yonghwa leaned her head against his chest.

“In my heart,” he whispered.

******

Seohyun stirred from her sleep.  She felt her pillow moving up and down, and she could feel a pulse on her palm.  Her eyes shot open and came face to face with a bare chest.

She covered as she gasped in surprise.  She slowly sat up and looked down at the man beside her.   Yonghwa oppa was sleeping soundly, his mouth slightly open.  His shirt was ed down to his waist, and she could see his glorious chest.

A blush shyly crept onto her face, causing her to turn around and fan herself.  These thoughts have been playing in her mind lately; thoughts of a buff Yonghwa oppa.  His nickname Yo~ong didn’t seem to fit him now; even Yong choding felt weird.

They’ve known each other for more than two years now; been together for more than a year.  But for the most part, she’d been an innocent and naïve girl.

And she’d been slowly falling for this guy.

The words “I love you” have never been uttered between them.  Their sweet and fun companionship was based on a mutual understanding.

Seohyun turned back towards Yonghwa.  She watched him sleep peacefully, brushing his hair away from his face.  He coughed several times and his side towards her.  She smiled and lay back down on her side and faced him.  She traced his face gently with a finger, starting from his forehead, down his perfect nose, and then through his duckie lips.  She grinned as she remembered his pouting expression that really made him look like a duckie.

She shrieked as Yonghwa suddenly grabbed her and pulled her against him, still with his eyes closed.

“Hmmm, what’s running through that head of yours, Seohyun-ah?” he murmured as he nuzzled the side of her neck.

Seohyun giggled.

“I was thinking… that you could fit a foot inside your mouth, oppa,” she laughed as she .

Yonghwa raised his head and looked at her incredulously.

“Eh?! Why would you do that when my mouth can be used for more important things?” he said, wriggling his eyebrows.

“Really? And what are these more important things?  She said as she played along.

“Hmmm, well of course, I use it to talk, to eat, to sing,” Yonghwa said, counting off on his fingers.

“However,”  he whispered as he drew closer to her, “this is my favourite thing to do with it,” and kissed her gently.

“I think, that’s one’s my favourite, too, oppa…,” she whispered, not looking at him directly.  Yonghwa chuckled as he tickled the tip of her nose.

They stopped laughing as they heard a growling sound.  Yonghwa laughed as he recognized the sounds coming from his stomach.

“Aigoo, I think it’s about time we had our picnic, don’t you think?” he said as he sat up and grabbed his backpack.

“Wow, you’ve really prepared a lot for today, oppa!” Seohyun said, clapping her hands gleefully.

Yonghwa took out several containers from his bag, and opened them to show his handiwork.

“The pink one’s yours, Hyun-ah,” he said as he opened it for her.  He stopped midway when he saw the contents.

His artwork was gone.  He’d prepared the food and formed it to look like Seohyun’s face, but their run through the rain must have jumbled everything together.

“Ughh, I woke up really early to prepare all these, not everything’s ruined,” he cried out in frustration.

Seohyun took the pink box and looked inside.

“Wow, it still looks yummy, though.  It’s okay oppa, let’s just eat!  I’m starving,” she said, digging in with her chopsticks.

Yonghwa smiled gratefully as he watched her enjoy the food, and chuckled at her ooohs and aaahs.  He opened his own box and starting eating as well.

“Here oppa, eat this one, this is really good,” Seohyun said as she picked up a piece of meat and offered it to him.  Yonghwa took it into his mouth and grinned.

“Whoah, so good, I wonder who cooked it?” Yonghwa joked, pleased that she was so cool about everything that’s happened that day.

“Yeah, I wonder who cooked it?  He’d make an awesome husband someday,” Seohyun said.  She soon blushed heavily and kept her head down as the implications of her words dawned on her.

Yonghwa grinned and refrained from teasing her.  She was embarrassed enough already.

Her words left fluffy feelings in his chest, though.  He liked it.  He really, really liked it.

“Hyun-ah, listen to me,” he started to say as he put down his food. “I’m really sorry about today.  Nothing’s going right, and I’m so frustrated that all my plans have been ruined,” he said, looking at her with regretful eyes.

Seohyun shook her head at him and smiled.

“You’ve been apologizing all day oppa, please stop.  I’m actually enjoying everything,” she said cheerfully.

“I wouldn’t exchange this date for anything else,” she whispered softly, looking at him again with those sparkling eyes.

“But still—“

Seohyun placed a hand on his cheek to stop him.

“No more apologies, oppa.  Let’s just enjoy being together today, alright?”  she said and smiled brightly.  He couldn’t do anything else but to smile back.  He was overwhelmed with her kindness.

You’re a complete fool if you ever let this girl go, Yonghwa.  A complete fool, he thought to himself as he continued to watch her eat.

You are one damn lucky pigeon, Jung Yonghwa.  Damn lucky…

******

The rain continued to pour throughout the night.  Yonghwa kept himself awake and watched over the sleeping Seohyun.  He’d gone out a few minutes earlier to get back his bike, now he was all wet again.

He suddenly remembered the box of matches he’d brought.  Checking his bag, he found the matchbox.  Luckily he’d packed it in a plastic bag, so they were still dry.  Trying to move quietly, he looked around the hut for materials for a small fire.

Wow, I AM a boy scout, he thought, very proud of himself once he got a fire burning.

He took off his wet shirt and hung it near the fire.  He might get sick if he stayed cold and wet longer.  He had to get Seohyun near the fire, too.

He turned towards her and found her already sitting up.

“Hyun-ah, come sit here next to me.  Bring the blanket.  We need to get as dry as possible,” he invited.

Seohyun seemed uneasy as he saw her avert her gaze.  He remembered his half- state.

“Come on Hyun-ah, haven’t you seen a bare chest before?!”  he teased, getting up and walking over to where she sat.

“Of course I have, oppa!  Just… not up close,” she answered back, but kept looking away.

Yonghwa chuckled as he thought about teasing her again.

“Well Hyun-ah, you’re a smart girl right?” he asked as he sat closely beside her.  She turned to face him but kept her eyes on his face.

“What do you mean, oppa?” she asked curiously.

“Well… what’s the best way to stay warm in our situation right now?” he continued to ask, his voice low and husky.

“Well, we’ve got a fire now, so that’s not a problem anymore, oppa,” she answered haughtily.

“Oh yeah, there is.  But it’s just a small fire, it’s gonna die out soon.  So what then?” he continued, pushing her.

Seohyun glared at him.

“What exactly do you want, oppa?” she asked, an accusing tone in her voice.

“You really don’t know, Hyun-ah?” Yonghwa asked again, drawing closer.  He really enjoyed teasing her like this, coz she was always so prim and proper.

“Of course I know oppa,” she answered.  She suddenly threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Hmmm… warm enough, oppa?” she whispered against his ear.

Yonghwa thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

******