Sunday came around and Jin Ae rolled over in her sleep. She felt something hard under her stomach but she was too deep asleep to really acknowledge it. She had fallen asleep with her phone by her side because she was playing Angry Birds until early in the morning. Jinsang had let her sleep in that day, as he had to leave a little early to go grocery shopping. The clock was just hitting ten o’clock when Jinsang came back, his arm over laden with bags of groceries. Quickly kicking off his shoes, he dropped the groceries on to the table in the kitchen and quietly went upstairs to Jin Ae’s room. As he opened the door, Jin Ae stirred underneath her blankets, still deeply asleep. Jinsang glanced at the time and felt that he had given her enough time to sleep in.

Grinning evilly, he slowly crept towards her bed, her face slightly obscured by her long hair, the blankets rising and falling slowly as she breathed deeply. He looked at her for a split second before jumping on top of her.

“GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!” There was a loud yelp, a mess of blankets, and a lot of kicking and laughter before Jin Ae sat bolt upright, with Jinsang clutching his stomach, sitting beside her.

“That wasn’t funny Jinsang!” Jin Ae’s voice cracked a bit, her hair still all over the place. Jinsang continued to chuckle lightly as he fixed her hair for her, curling it behind her ear.

“It’s about time you woke up anyway. Plus, your phone’s vibrating.”

“What, no it’s – oh, it is!” Jin Ae grabbed her phone – which was miraculously still alive after that little fuss – and slid it open.

“Hello?” She answered while Jinsang made himself comfortable on her bed.

“Jin Ae? Did I wake you? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I can hang up now if you want, I’m really sorry –” Jin Ae giggled a bit as she recognized Chanhee’s voice on the other line.

“No no it’s fine Chanhee – I was already awake because there was a, ah, disturbance.” She glared at Jinsang who stuck his tongue out at her.

“Oh okay, well um, so I was just wondering if um, we were still on for, um today, you know, if you still want to…” His voice trailed off. Jin Ae then remembered there little run-in yesterday and subconsciously smiled while playing with a strand of hair.

“Yeah for sure, I’m definitely still up for it!” Jin Ae said, a hint of over-enthusiasm leaked into her voice, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Jinsang, who raised an eyebrow.

“That’s great! Well, I’ll come by your house and we can walk together. I really don’t know where to go to be honest, but we can decide while we walk I guess, I mean, if that’s okay with you.” Chanhee’s constant hints of gentleman-like conduct made Jin Ae’s insides tingle a little. Looking at it from a different point of view, it would sound as if he was some sort of sissy pushover, too shy to be the leading man. However, Jin Ae found this quality to be quite charming, and moreover, simply adorable.

“Yeah, that’s cool. Just give me about a half hour and I’ll be ready. See you in a bit!” Jin Ae bid him goodbye and slid her phone shut and clutched it to her chest. Unaware that her brother was still in the room, she began to giggle and wriggle in her sitting position.

“Yah, you’re so weird. Now who was that and what are you talking about, getting ready and what not?” Jinsang threw a pillow at his sister who stopped wriggling but still had a smile on her face.

“Huh? Oh, it was just Chanhee, we’re just going to hang out today, no big.”

“It’s not just ‘no big’ okay, Jin Ae. I don’t even know this guy, and now you’re going on a date with him?” Jin Ae’s eyes widened at the word ‘date’ and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks.

“It’s not a date!” She said defensively. Jinsang looked at her sceptically and sat upright as well, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Jin Ae, a guy asking to hang out with you, for no reason other than that, then it’s a date.” Jin Ae couldn’t seem to process that one word in her mind and she pushed her brother lightly and quickly jumped out of bed.

“It’s not a date, okay. It’s just…a friendly get-together.” She said with a snap of her fingers.

“Or…it’s a date.” Jinsang said, also getting off of the bed. Jin Ae began combing her hair and then walked to her closet to figure out what to wear for the day.

“Is not!”

“Is too!” Jinsang dogged her through the whole house, insisting that she was going on a date with Chanhee. At last, when Jin Ae stopped in front of the bathroom to wash up and get changed, she finally rounded on him.

“So what if it is a date? Why are you so pressed about it? It’s not like Chanhee’s a bad guy, plus you met him already  so doesn’t that count for anything?”

“HAH, so you admit that it is a date!” Jin Ae looked at her brother incredulously before turning around and stomping inside the bathroom, careful to slam the door in Jinsang’s satisfied face.

Jin Ae stood for a short moment, her hand still on the doorknob, and she began to mull over Jinsang’s ‘crazy talk.’ Maybe Chanhee had just discreetly asked her out on a date, but that couldn’t be it. He only saw her as a friend, an acquaintance even. Of course, they had been talking a little more and she couldn’t deny that there was some sort of attraction there. But he’s one of the best looking guys in our grade, in our school even. Of course I would feel naturally attracted to him, same as the rest of the girls in school. She tried to convince herself that it was nothing more than a very slight physical attraction. However, she then thought about how sweet he was to her and how timid he seemed to be over the phone.

Chanhee strolled leisurely down the sidewalk of Jin Ae’s neighbourhood. He was a little bit early, but he figured that he might as well enjoy the nice weather outside. A small breeze blew the leaves of the trees, slightly ruffling his brown hair. A small smile played on his lips as he turned a corner, nearing Jin Ae’s house. Truthfully, he had been meaning to ask her to hang out with him for some time already, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it to make it seem like it wasn’t really a date, just in case she would feel uncomfortable with the idea.

He hadn’t quite come to terms with it himself, but Chanhee had a little baby crush on Jin Ae. It was his fear of rejection that prevented him from admitting to himself that he was even attracted to her. He knew that she had her own charm, which made her pretty in a different way from other girls. Cliché, but she stood out to him, and he could see why so many people liked her presence. It was that sort of atmosphere around her that made him not even remotely jealous of her winning the student council elections. He knew that she deserved it, more than she thinks she does.

After some time and a little more self-pondering, he found himself standing in front of Jin Ae’s home. Taking a deep breath, her pressed the door bell and waited on the bottom step. Expecting to see Jin Ae ready to go, he was slightly caught off guard by Jinsang, who held the door open for him.

“Ah, Chanhee – would you like to come in for a bit?” Jinsang asked politely, making it seem like an innocent invitation, but Chanhee caught the slight demand in his tone. Not wishing to get on Jinsang’s bad side, he nodded slightly and stepped into the threshold. Jinsang disappeared into the living room, and Chanhee figured that he should follow. Removing his shoes and placing it neatly by the door mat, he closed the door behind him and went into the living room, where he found Jinsang sitting on the couch.

“Take a seat, Chanhee, and let’s talk a little while Jin Ae finishes up.” He said, again with that same, dangerously polite tone.

“O-Okay, well it’s nice to see you again Jinsang-ssi, thanks again for giving me a ride home the other night.” Chanhee quickly added, earning him a small smile.

“It’s no problem Chanhee, and just call me hyung.” The politeness was still evident, but the danger seemed to have quickly passed, as if Jinsang had silently approved of Chanhee for his thoughtfulness.

“So where do you plan on taking Jin Ae for your little date?” Jinsang asked, a smile still on his face. Chanhee felt his cheeks redden and he cleared his throat.

“W-Well, I wouldn’t exactly c-call it a date…”

“But you did ask her to hang out with you, right?”

“Yeah, but – ”

“And you guys are just hanging out for ‘no reason’, right?”

“Okay, that’s true, but – ”

“Then it’s a date!” Jinsang shrugged and patted Chanhee’s shoulder. Chanhee opened and closed his mouth. Before he could come up with something, Jin Ae ran down the steps as fast as she could, saving him the trouble.

“Oh hey Chanhee – oh jeez, I’m sorry, did my brother do something to you?” Jin Ae asked apologetically, and then sent a glare to Jinsang who just shrugged, acting innocent.

“I didn’t do anything, honest.” Jin Ae rolled her eyes and walked over to Chanhee, who abruptly stood up.

“Um, we should go…” He began, looking uncertainly from Jin Ae to Jinsang, who still had a mischievous grin on his face.

“That sounds like a good idea, come on!” Jin Ae said, gently pushing him towards the door. She turned slightly to look at her brother.

“Oh, and don’t wait up too late for me!”

“You still have a curfew Jin Ae, there’s school tomorrow! Chanhee, you better have her home by six!”

“You changed my curfew to seven you moron!” Jin Ae yelled from the front door. Before her brother could protest, Jin Ae shut the door and dragged Chanhee along with her, jogging slightly. When they had passed a couple of houses, they slowed to a walk, Jin Ae still clutching on to Chanhee’s wrist.

“Sorry, my brother can be a little overprotective at times.” She apologized and he just laughed drily.

“It’s okay, I mean, I can see why he would be.”

“Aw, but I can take care of myself. Besides, it’s not like you’re some crazy psychopath, looking for innocent girls to prey on, are you?” Jin Ae joked. Chanhee only grinned and somehow switched their hands so that now, he was holding on to her wrist.

“Looks can be deceiving.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Jin Ae let out a loud laugh.

“Anyway, we should go grab a bite to eat. There’s that small vendor down the street around the next corner – it’s right by that new hello kitty place that I really wanted to check out. I mean, if you don’t mind…” Jin Ae quickly added but to her surprise, Chanhee’s eyes lit up at the mention of hello kitty.

“Oh! I heard there was a new store opening! I’ve been dying to go and check it out!” Jin Ae looked at him questioningly and Chanhee had realized what he had just said, and the smile quickly turned into a grimace and he shrugged.

“Okay, confession time, I’m slightly obsessed with hello kitty, shoot me.” He said, letting go of Jin Ae’s wrist in order to lift both his arms up in surrender. Jin Ae giggled and gently pushed his arms down.

“That’s totally cool, at least you’re honest about it.” She gave him a warm smile and Chanhee couldn’t help but to smile back at her. It was the first time he had actually told anyone about his hello kitty obsession, and somehow, it didn’t really bother him that Jin Ae knew. Maybe it was the fact that she was so accepting of it, or that she seemed to really like how he was honest. Or maybe it was just because it was something they shared in common.

The day went by rather quickly, as the pair ate ddukkboki at the vendor and ogled at just about everything in the new hello kitty store. Jin Ae had found a pair of hello kitty earrings that she had hesitated in buying, until Chanhee wordlessly grabbed it from her, and despite her protests, paid for along with a hello kitty lollipop for each of them. They then went to a small arcade about a block or two away from the store and played just about every game inside. Chanhee felt like he was playing games with any of his guy friends, as Jin Ae was exceptionally good at the games, but there was a different feel to it. She didn’t pretend to not know how to play the games, but instead for any of his losses and vice versa. They were very comfortable around each other, and by the time they were out of the arcade, they had subconsciously linked arms on their way out.

Before they knew it, they had arrived back in Jin Ae’s neighbourhood right at 6:59PM. Their arms were still linked as they approached the front door.

“Well, looks like I still managed to get you back on time.” Chanhee grinned and Jin Ae nudged him playfully.

“With one minute to spare – you’re good.” They both laughed and then a small silence followed. Jin Ae suddenly felt really small as she looked into Chanhee’s eyes. His grip tightened slightly around Jin Ae’s arm as he found himself moving closer. Jin Ae felt frozen in place, almost unsure of what to do. She was almost one hundred percent sure of Chanhee’s intentions and didn’t know how to react. She could hear her hear thumping loudly in her ears as Chanhee’s face inched closer. She could now see his interestingly long lashes, as his eyes trailed down to her lips. At last, she found herself leaning in as well, her eyes closing and she could feel his warm breath on her lips…

THUMP!

A loud sound came from a bush not too far away and the two jumped back from each other, glancing at the bush. Jin Ae gulped and instinctively cowered behind Chanhee, who, in turn, placed a protective arm in front of her.

“W-Who’s there?” She asked, but there was no reply. They both continued to stare at the bush until another loud slam made the two yell loudly, as Jin Ae buried her face into Chanhee’s chest.

“Um, Jin Ae…” Chanhee murmured, and Jin Ae slowly looked up at him. His eyes weren’t looking at her, but behind her and he looked slightly fearful. Slowly separating herself from Chanhee, she turned to look at where he was staring and found herself face-to-face with a very surprised looking Jinsang.

“Thanks for bringing her home, Chanhee.” He said in a low voice. Jin Ae heard Chanhee gulp and she immediately came back to her senses.

“Okay, well that was fun Chanhee, I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?” She the tiptoed a little and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before running inside, pulling her brother with her before he could do anything more. As the door closed, Chanhee momentarily forgot about the little disturbance by the bush, and walked absentmindedly down the neighbourhood and back home.

Personal Replies

nanny_yo - Interesting twist I hope, haha. Well, he won't admit it yet, but by the looks of it, it's safe to say that he is, lol.

joonieplus - Who knows! Of course, later on (or soon) you'll get your answer (: Thanks for the comment!

jubeilie - Haha, indeed he is!

kiss_xander23 - He's a cute stalker, lol. I'm a strong believer in karma myself, so let's see what I have in store for him ;p

kkaep54 - Cuteness overload, haha.

bubblegoat - Things can be deceiving, but it's okay, innocent mistake, lol. I had some a couple of weeks ago, kind of miss it, probably why I'm writing about it, haha. Thank you for the comment!

Author's Note: Wow, I . It took me almost two months to update, and I'm really sorry! It's just that right when I had updated Chapter 17, it was right before the peak month at school. May was crazy, and trust me, a lot of things happened that totally wore me out. School was just killer, and one of the reasons I'm updating now is because I'm so happy that I managed to get through it. Also, I had a few new ideas for the chapter, as well as chapters to come (:

On a sidenote, I'm planning a new fic. I won't reveal my plot just yet, as it's just in the making. However, I'm having trouble deciding which group to make the main, and I'd like your input! On the poll below, would you mind just voting on who you'd be more interested in reading about? This fic will keep them in their idol personas, if that influences your decision at all. There's a chance I may use two of the groups, but I need one main one, and I'm not sure who would work best, so please vote, for me? ;D YOU'LL GET UNICORNS AND RAINBOWS....AND MY EVERLASTING LOVE, LOL.