As soon as I got home, I rushed to the shower. Once I was finished, I blow dryed my hair and started to curl it. As soon as that was finished, I called Amber.

"Yoboseyo?"

"Amber! I need your help! I have a date tonight, and I don't know what to where!"

"Okay.. I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay!"

As soon as we both hung up, I rushed to my huge closet and brought out everything that I thought would look good. Shirts, skirts, jeans, shorts, sweaters, shoes, bags, and scarfs.

I was in the middle of putting a few things together, when I heard the doorbell.

"I'm coming!" I yelled, running to the door.

Once I opened it, Amber came right in.

"Sorry I took so long, unnie. I picked up some of that one lip gloss that you really love!"

I smiled. "Great," I took the bag from her hands and headed toward my closet. "Lets go pick clothes out, it's almost time."

Once we finally decided on a white top and a light blue skirt with a small black belt, and a pair of cute light brown boots, we fixed my make-up and finished my hair. I was ready to go, right at six-thirty, so Amber and I watched a few videos on youtube.

Once I heard the doorbell ring, I started squealing like a pig and jumping up and down.

"Unnie, calm down!" Amber said, trying to stop my jumping.

"Sorry, I'm excited.."

"I know, I know. Now, go answer the door."

I nodded and headed to the door. I inhaled and exhaled, straightened my skirt, and finally opened the door. The person standing at the door wasn't who I'd expected. Instead of Onew, I found my mail man.

"Ahjussi?"

"Ah, yes.. I have your mail."

"Oh, thank you." I said slightly bowing. I shut the door and began pouting.

"Unnie, I'm going to get going now. Call me after the date, and tell me how things went?" she said, hugging me.

"Alright, I'll see you."

After Amber left, I waited around for a few minutes until my phone started to ring.

"Yoboseyo?"

"Ah, Gwiboonie?"

Onew? Oh no, was he calling to cancel the date?!

"Ne? Onew oppa?"

"Yes! Uhm.. I was just leaving to come to you, and I forgot all about calling you and asking for your address."

I laughed and gave him my address.

"Alright, I'll be there soon. Bye."

"See you."

About fifteen minutes later, I heard the doorbell ring. I in a breath, let it out and headed to the door. Before I opened it, I took off my house-slippers and put on the boots I was going to wear. Once I finished, I opened the door.

I saw Onew, holding flowers and fixing his hair a little. He didn't notice that I opened the door either. He was too busy looking down the hall. I smiled, and tapped him on the sholder.

"AISH!" he jumped, and looked at me then let out a breath. "You scared me,"

"Ah, sorry~"

"No, it's fine. Wow," he said, staring at me.

"What?" I looked down at my dress to see if there was something on it.

"Oh, it just that.. you look so beautiful."

I looked at him in the eyes, and smiled. "Thank you."

"Are you ready to go?" I nodded, and grabbed my bag.

"Then, let's go~" he spoke in english. I smiled.

"You know english?" I said, shutting the door and locking it. I too spoke in english.

"Yep."

"Do you speak well?"

"Uhm, kind of. I studied in America."

"Really? So did I!"

"Cool." he said, smiling at me. I smiled back ans we had an awkward moment of silence.

We started walking down the flight of stairs, me a little a head of him, once we were almost at the bottom, I heard something behind me. I looked at Jinki and saw him falling down the stairs. I gasped and tried to help him, but I was too slow. He fell right on his , and started to laugh.

"Omo! Oppa, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, this happens all the time." he was still slightly laughing, but I helped him up.

"Are you sure? That looked like it really hurt."

"I'm fine, let's go." he started walking again, but I stayed right were I was.

"Yah, how are you even walking?!"

"I said I'm fine. I swear, I fall all the time. It's no big deal."

"Alright," I said pouting a little.

"It's okay, come one." he grabbed my hand and pulled me along beside him.

"But, oppa, why are you always falling?"

"It's just how I am. I'm clumsy."

I smiled as we walked to his car.

Once we were at the restaurant, we were seated right away, and had our orders in.

We were talking, but interrupted by a yellow-haired girl.

"Onew Oppa!! Aish, I haven't seen you in a long time!"

"Sica?"

"Ne!"

He got up and hugged her. I frowned to myself, feeling jealousy roam through me.

"Gwiboonie, this is Jessica. We used to go to school together. She was my best friend."

I stood up and bowed to her. "Hello."

"Hi! Sorry, I just thought I'd say 'hi'. I'd better get going. Good-bye, Onew oppa. Gwiboon." she smiled and then took off.

"That was weird," he said, looking at me. "She must've been jealous of you. Usually she'd hang around until I leave.

I laughed, "She was pretty."

He smiled.

Once our food arrived, he looked at me.

"Please eat it well."

"I'll eat it well," I sang and we began eating.

I ate spaghetti, while he ate chicken. He told me it was his favorite food, and he would eat it for every meal, every day if he could.

We learned things about each other, we laughed with each other, and then when we were finished eating, we got in his car again. On the way back to my apartment, he saw an ice cream stand, and he stopped.

"Do you want some ice cream?"

"Yeah!"

"You stay here!"

He got out of the car, and went to get the ice cream without turning back. He didn't ask what flavor I wanted. He came back a few minutes later, with two cones in his hands. When he was inside the car again he turned to me.

"Do you like strawberry?"

I nodded and smiled. "It's my favorite."

"It's mine too." he said, smiling.

We ate our ice cream, and then went back to my apartment. We were at the door, when he was staring into my eyes. and then kissed me, deeply. I closed my eyes, and kissed him back. It wasn't like the kisses I'd shared with Jonghyun oppa, it was much more than that. It was passionate. We broke apart soon, and smiled at each other.

"I'd really like to do this with you again," he said.

"What, the kiss or the date?"

"Both,"

I smiled, and kissed him gently one more time.

"Me too."

I heard the phone ring, and turned to open the door.

"I'm sorry!"

"Wait, Gwiboon."

"Ne?"

He stared at me.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just.. for agreeing to this date."

I smiled. "It was my pleasure."

He kissed me softly once more, and then he turned and walked down the hallway. The phone stopped ringing, so I rushed in to hear the message that was left.

"Gwiboon," it was Jonghyun. He sounded.. like he was crying.

I ran to the phone, and dialed Jonghyun's number.

"Yoboseyo?" he sniffed.

"Jonghyun oppa!"

"Gwib?"

"Ne! I heard your message.. but I didn't listen to it. I called you right away!"

"Oh. Well, I just wanted to let you know," he began, his voice dissolved into harsh ragged sobs. "My father died this morning."

I don't remember what I said then. I remember that he told me the details: He had a and he'd died in the hospital. It had been very fast. I was crying, Jonghyun was crying. I couldn't remember when I'd felt this horrible about something. It was so unfair. Jjong's father was a wonderful man. He had loved his family. He had even, I thought, maybe love me, too.

But even as I was feeling horrible, I felt the spark growing. He'll get it now, a voice in my head whispered. Once you've had a loss like that, doesn't it change the way you see the world? And wouldn't it change the way he saw me, my own fractured family, my own lost father? Plus, he'd need me. He'd needed me once before, to rescue him from loneliness, from ual ignorance and shame... and surly he would need me again to help him get through this.

I imagined us at a funeral, and how I'd hold his hand, how I'd help him, hold him up, be there for him to lean on, the way I wished I could have leaned on him. I imagined him looking at me with new respect and understanding, new consideration, with the eyes of a man, not a boy.

"Let me help. How can I help?" I said. "Do you want me to come over?"

His reply was dismayingly instant. "No," he said. "I'm going home, and there's a ton of people there now. It would be weird. Could you come to the funeral tomorrow?"

"Of course." I said. "Of course. I love you," I said , the words out of my mouth before I finished thinking them.

"What does that mean?" he asked me, still crying.

To my credit, I recovered fast. "That I want to be there for you and help you in any way that I can."

"Just come tomorrow," he said dully. "That's all you can do right now."

But something erse in me persisted.

"I love you," I said again, and left the words hanging there. Jjong sighed, knowing what I wanted, and unwilling, or unable, to give it to me.

"I have to go," he said. "I'm sorry, Gwiboon-ah."

Remember: COMMENT!!!

-Minjee~