(Listen to Perfect Man by Shinhwa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2TTlOQuLAQ)

“Hoya, for the hundredth time, QUARTER PANTS ARE NOT FORMAL.”

I snatched the hanger from my friend, who was staring at me with a dazed face. While Kairi and Woohyun were waiting for us in the car, I was busy trying to find something decent for Hoya to wear for his date. Kairi had helped Woohyun to shop for himself while I was busy trying to find something nice for Kairi to wear. What would Hoya like? I had thought. Eventually, Kairi picked the dress I had chosen for myself and I wore the red strapless number that she had ed upon me.

Hoya collapsed on the bed face down, closing his eyes and muttering, “It’s dinner with friends. Why formal wear?”

“Because the place is fancy,” I said and beamed at the black button down shirt at the back of the closet. “Why didn’t you tell me you had this??”

Hoya opened one eye and upon seeing what I was holding, jumped up. He shoved it back and murmured, “I’ve never worn it.” He saw my questioning look and sighed. “I only carry them around while travelling, in case of an emergency.”

I stretched my arms and shook my head. “And this is not one of those cases?”

Hoya straightened up and shouted, “It’s dinner with that crazy friend of yours.”

“You haven’t even MET Kairi, what’s wrong with you?”

“Oh yeah? Well then why did Woohyun text me saying, ‘Brace yourself, Typhoon Kairi will strike tonight’?”

I stared at Hoya’s iPhone and read the sentence three-four times. Gritting my teeth, I glared at Hoya who only glared back at me. “I trust Woohyun’s judgement,” he said. Pursing my lips, I studied his face carefully. And I realized something. He wasn’t lying. Hoya really did trust Woohyun, maybe a little too much. My thoughts flashbacked to when we first met, the story of Woohyun’s childhood that Hoya had so proudly told me. Hoya had not said anything about himself. During the past three years of our friendship, not once had I heard anything about Hoya. How he was as a kid, whether he had studied well, why he liked coffee so much.

“What are you thinking?”

I snapped back to the present and stared at Hoya, his sharp eyes studying my face the way I was studying him. I noticed his hair falling on his forehead, almost covering his left eye and pushed it back. “Show me your best, Hoya,” I murmured and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’m waiting downstairs, alright?”

It took less than fifteen minutes for the real Lee Howon to come out. With his hair slicked back neatly and his suit fitting him like an armour fit a seasoned warrior, I saw Woohyun’s eyes widen when we both stepped out onto the porch.

“Kairi,” I nodded at her, whose jaw was threatening to split wide open. “This is Hoya.”

Hoya gave a toothless smile, a charming one at that and with a small bow, said, “Nice to meet you.”

Kairi’s excitement broke out into a grin and I muffled my laughter as a high-pitch tone possessed her voice. “Nice to meet you too.”

“I like your dress,” he commented and I saw my boyfriend roll his eyes.

“Aah,” I said, “That dress, you see—”

“I’m glad you liked it! It’s exactly my style!” I clamped my mouth shut at Kairi’s words and quietly walked inside the car. Woohyun gave me his signature look and I muttered, “WHAT.”

“This is gonna be a huge disaster,” he whispered and started the engine when the two sat behind us. During the short drive, I exchanged information between the two individuals, telling Hoya what Kairi did for a living and vice versa.

“Wow,” Kairi exclaimed. “So you make coffee?”

Hoya grinned and shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I um.. Right now, I’m just working as a barista. Taking things slowly as of now.”

“Aah,” Kairi said. I gulped as I recognized the tone. Something about being a barista had struck a wrong chord.

“Hoya wants to open his own café,” I intervened, turning around and flashing a smile at him. “Don’t you Hoya?”

“Jjinja?” Woohyun exclaimed. “That’s the first time I’m hearing of that. Since when?”

I was tempted to sock my boyfriend then and there but was stopped by Hoya’s laugh. “Then what else will I do with my coffee? I can’t be a barista all my life, can I?”

“But you’re serious about this,” I insisted. “Aren’t you?”

Hoya and I exchanged glances and silence settled in. Woohyun sighed. “We’ve reached. Come on, let’s drink away the serious talk. Alright?”

“Oh no,” Kairi spoke up. “Saya is NOT drinking.”

“Yah! I’m not a high school student anymore, araso? I can handle my alcohol!”

“You know Saya, I’ve never heard of any interesting stories from your high school days. Care to elaborate, Kairi?”

“NAM WOOHYUN!”

“Hah, this should be fun.”

“LEE HOWON!”

“DON’T CALL ME LEE HOWON!”

“Aish… why are you guys so noisy? AB maniacs.”

Hoya and I narrowed our eyes at Woohyun who shrugged off our gaze and stepped out of the car. Kairi cocked her head to the right and asked, “What type is Woohyun?”

“B,” Hoya answered. “Selfish jerk.”

“What about you?” Woohyun smirked. “Incompetent jerk.”

While Kairi laughed, I could sense a strange calm. Jokes were being cracked, Kairi was enjoying their company and most of all, Woohyun was succeeding in hiding his irritation, the source of which was unknown. But as I walked behind the two friends, the calm whirled past me and gave me a warning. Hoya’s hidden boldness, the disappearance of his faithful defence mechanisms and the confidence that was suddenly oozing out and creating silent tremors.

It felt like the calm before a storm.