For the rest of the day, Kai always came to sit next to me for all of our mutual classes. I wasn't really keen on his behaviour towards me or what he was whispering on about throughout the lessons but I did get to know a teensy weensy bit more about him in between writing notes and scoffing at his cockiness. He likes skateboarding, surfing, motorcrossing, extreme paintball fights, going to amusement parks, and collecting vintage and antique stuff. His major is dancing; just like me, and he likes to rap for fun.

He's pretty much similar to me, in a way, except for skateboarding. I at skateboarding. But even though we're quite alike, I have to constantly remind myself to keep a distance away from him since he is, after all, the school playboy. When Kai walks beside me in the hallways while trying to continue the conversation, I notice many dumb girls glaring with jealousy while the smart ones giving me cautious looks, as though they are trying to remind me to watch myself around him. He was paired up with me for our dance project just because he was sitting next to me and our performance was due in three days.

The day was finally over and I couldn't wait to jump into my cozy bed at home. As I bid Lee Ah goodbye at the main gate, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I slowly turned around and found Kai smiling down at me. I raised my eyebrow in suspicion as I took a step back. I sighed and folded my arms.

"What is it now?"

"Follow me?" Kai asked.

"Where? I barely know you."

"Just follow me, you scaredy cat!"

"I don't wanna! I'm tired, I'm sleepy, I wanna go home!" I whined.

"Why don't you follow me and I promise to carry you home?"

"Hmm....still NO."

"Pleaseeeeee, come on! unless you want to fail our dance project! PLEASEEEE?" I pretended to fall asleep as Kai kept begging me to go with him to start on our project.

"ALRIGHT FINE! But only if you tell me where we're going to do our project at this time of the evening." Kai smirked and dragged me along with him to the bus stop. We got into the bus and the girls around me saw Kai and started giggling among themselves. I looked up at him and asked.

"So, I'm just your accessory, huh? Bringing me around everywhere for no reason." Kai gave me a calm expression and remained silent.

"Well ok fine, if that's how you want to act even though i agreed to come along with you." I muttered under my breath. Just then, the bus came to a sudden halt and I was flung. I was about to fall onto the floor when I suddenly felt a pair of hands grab my waist. I glanced up as I noticed Kai trying to help me regain my balance. Our eyes locked and he quickly removed his hands. 

"You're...really light." Kai awkwardly said. I slowly nodded my head.

 

Kai POV

Not even a thank you for this save either, this is one rude girl... but somehow, I find her quite attractive. What the heck Kai? Snap out of it man. You're doing this just because you have no guy friends in school. She's just a 'friend', she's just a 'friend'.

 

Your POV

We stopped at the bus stop just outside the extremely popular family restaurant that specialised in their meat. Everybody in the country travels great distances just to try it out. Even the stars and celebrities come down to eat. It was packed and busy as usual with the never-ending queue outside the restaurant. The waitress saw Kai and ushered him in witout any hesitation. I nudged Kai and gave him a weird look.

"Uh...Explain."

"My parents...own this place." I stared at him with my mouth wide open. That's the second time today!

"So? what am I here for?"

"YOU, can help me with the grocery list."

"WHAT! You want ME to do the grocery list for YOU? why."

"Because we don't want to lose profit by hiring workers to do that for us."

"Hey, I'm not as cheap as you think I am! I can't do this without getting paid!"

"What's cheap, is that necklace you have over your neck." He said, obviously thoughtlessly. I stared in disbelief.

"take. that. back." I said as I felt my face burning up.

"No. I'm serious, where did you get that?" I shook my head my head at his statement and I started to run away because I felt the tears coming.

"Yah! Song Min Ji, I'm kidding! Come back!" I heard as I felt tears trickling down my cheeks. I hailed a taxi and opened the door. As I was about to get in, someone grabbed my wrist and spun me around. He stared at me with my eyes filled with tears. He slammed the taxi door and pulled me to a nearby alley. 

"I'm sorry if I offended you...in any way..." He managed to say as he tried to catch his breath.

"What's the use of a sorry when you've already said what you've wanted to?" I replied quietly as I bit my lip in anger. He placed his hands on my shoulders and sighed.

"I'm sincerely sorry." I looked up at him and scoffed.

"Right, sure you are. This 'stupid' necklace should just stay out of your sight, huh?" I flared as I ripped it off my neck.

"Min Ji, please. I came here with good intentions. I'm not just gonna fight with you over a necklace. I said I was sorry, I'd take those words back if I could."

"Yeah sure, me helping out with the grocery list, such good intentions."

"I was just kidding about that! Come on, let me show you around." Kai said as he held my wrist firmly, as if he were afraid that I'd try to run away.

We walked back into the restaurant, went through the kitchen, up the stairs and through a glass door.

 

 

 

 

It was huge. I never knew that a shophouse could be so grand and HUGE! 

"Wow." 

"Its not much though. I bet you had expected more."

"No, this is...pretty much more than what i had expected." I nodded as I looked around the house in awe.

"Ahem, well, I didn't know we had guests." I heard a female voice from behind me. I turned around and saw a lady in her middle ages staring at me from top to bottom.

"Annyeonghasaeyo, my name is Song Min Ji and I'm in the same stream as Kai."

"Ah, have you come here before? Just too many girls have came that I can't remember if you're one of them." She blurted. At the corner of my eye, I saw Kai facepalming himself.

"Mom, why don't you go help dad with the cooking downstairs, there's a lot of people waiting to be served."

"Ok, alright then. Oh and Kai, No funny stuff." She said as she pointed to me. She suddenly started staring at me again. She grimaced and squinted her eyes.

"Now, where have I seen you before? ..Song...Song...Ji...what was your name again, dear?" She asked as she came closer towards me and examined my facial features.

"S..So..Song Min Ji imnida.**"

"Song...Min Ji...AH! THAT'S RIGHT! I ALMOST FORGOT!! By any chance, Is your mother Song Da Hye?" Kai's mother exclaimed. 

"Oh? How did you.."

"THAT'S RIGHT!! IT IS YOU! Oh how long has it been since I've seen you! You're so grown up now, and so pretty! You're in the same school as my Kai? Same Major as well?" I nodded my head eagerly, even though I couldn't remember who she was.

"It's me, auntie Kimmy! Do you remember? I'm your mother's best friend! I came over to your house every week since you were born! Now you're so tall! The last time I visited you was when you were 6, at your mother's funeral. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you to help you through those times as I was overseas, taking my degree in cooking. How has it been? Did you have a hard time coping with her death? Are you still holding on to that necklace she gave you?" She blinked as she waited for me to answer all those questions.

"Uh...I've gotten used to the fact that my mother isn't around to help me with my life anymore so my dad has been trying really hard to support us and be a good pillar of support for me. It was hard to admit the fact that she was gone, at first, but this necklace that she used to wear, is her favourite necklace, and it helped me feel like she was close to me, even though she isn't physically here. This necklace is worthless and I'll do anything to get it back if I ever lost it. It helps to remind me of the warmth my mother used to give me on winter nights and the way she used to brush my hair at night. I still miss her... a lot." I said as my gaze naturally fell on Kai.

Auntie Kimmy took out something from her white coat and it matched the moon necklace that my mother gave me but instead, her's was a sun. I smiled as I took mine out from my pocket and asked her to wear it for me. She put it around my neck and hugged me. It has been a long time since I've felt this motherly warmth. It was always my dad's hard back that my hands could rest upon when I hugged him but this...I've never felt in a very, very long time. She let go of me and and clapped her hands.

"Well, I gotta go help out with the kitchen, don't have too much fun without me! I'm serious Kai, if you lay a hand on her, I will kill you." She sternly warned Kai before going down the stairs to the kitchen.

"So... that was a weird conversation..." Kai said as we continued to walk through the long hallway. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Eh, I've had weirder." We walked in silence until we reached a room which said 'Kai' on it, written in gold plating. He opened the door to his room and put down his bag.

 

There was a shelf at the other corner of the room which was full of antique items, like a vintage model of the Eiffel tower, a miniature version of the big ben in olden times and a huge polaroid camera which looked really old. I looked around his room before hearing a cough from behind. 

"Are you ready to go to the practice room next door?"

"Ne..next door? I thought we were practicing here! Its huge here! How can there be not enough space to practice here?"

"There's a bed here...do you still wanna practice in here now?" I flushed a bright pink and shook my head. Kai laughed at me because of my silliness as I tried to hide my face in embarassment and walked out of the room. 

After 5 hours, we came up with our dance moves in the studio and practiced it several times before I started to yawn. Since we had already came up with most of the moves, Kai decided to send me home. I rejected his offer but it was 10p.m after all so I just went along with it. As we were in the taxi going towards my house, Kai broke the silence first. 

"I'm sorry I made fun of your necklace. I didn't know it meant that much to you and...I'm sorry...again.." I nodded and the silence continued. It was deafening, to be honest. The taxi stopped outside my house and we both came out.

"I..I just wanted to....to....thank..you for everything you did for me today...and apology...accepted." I said as I patted Kai's shoulder.

"Min Ji...I know its only been the first day but... I just wanted to ask. Have people been talking.. bad about me?"

"YOU?! Psh! NO! Of course not!! Why would they? PSH!" I'm clearly not good at lying.

"Seriously Min JI, I just wanted to tell you that I'm not the playboy that everybody thinks I am."

"Yeah you are."

"No I'm not! I just... have a way of making friends.."

"Yeah, WITH GIRLS."

"No but seriously, don't think of me like that anymore, ok." 

"Why? Since when do you care what I think? We only knew each other today."

"Just. Stop, ok. I don't want YOU to think of me that way, especially when you know my mom."

"Ok then, whatever you say. Goodnight." I finished abruptly as I stretched and unlocked my door. I waved goodbye and slammed the door shut.