“You lied to me?” Rather than sounding as a question, it sounded like an accusation.

The older individual nodded too quickly to be lying, but it slipped her mind.

“And to think I trusted you.”

She bit her bottom lip and close to tears, she ran out of his house. You lied Kikwang. You said you’d be there for me forever...Thoughts streamed through her brain, wondering how she let this happen. She asked herself how this came to be, how she let it slip. She couldn’t figure out why she never noticed it happening before her eyes.

The rain mixed with her salty tears and trailed down her cheeks. Her little makeup ran down her small face and dripped to the floor. Her pink blush caused a small pool of pink even in the rain. Unbelievable, she thought. Finally after running for what seemed miles, her energy slowly drained and she halted to a stop. Soon, her legs gave in too and she fell to her knees from exhaustion, from her broken heart. Fixated on the concrete floor, she wailed. She sobbed for all the times Kikwang smiled at her and how recently he didn’t pick up his phone. She cried for all the sweet things he said in the past and how they may have all been lies.
 

----------------------------------------------------

Kikwang closed the door lightly and slid to the floor. He buried his face in his hands and groaned. He didn’t have to do this, but holding onto her longer would make all of them suffer. He let his hands drop and unconsciously pounded the door. It was hard to contain his anger when it wasn’t his fault at all. Jaeri was right, he did lie. But he definitely was not cheating on her …

“Darling... I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He whispered. “You don’t know how much it hurt me to hurt you …”

At that moment, his cell phone buzzed. Kikwang briefly looked over the message and smiled bitterly.

From: Choi Minho
To: Lee Kikwang

Thank you.

“Really...” He chuckled halfheartedly. “Of all the things I had to do, I had to do tell you...” He let his head bang the door softly and sighed.

----------------------------------------------------

“Yah, Jang Jaeri.”

The girl looked up with her tear-stained face. went from a line to small ‘O’ shape. Many thoughts streamed in her brain and she could not understand why nor how he knew she was here.

“What are you doing here Minho?”

“Picking up a stray girl, that’s what.” He grabbed Jaeri by the elbow and helped her up. “Let’s go home.”

Home, Jaeri thought. Kikwang was my home too. Suddenly, she realized Minho was here. “Yah Minho, how did you know I was here?”

Minho shrugged. Such slow reactions, he thought, chuckling to himself.

“I have my sources,” he winked. Like usual, his wink sent butterflies to Jaeri’s stomach despite the fact she had a boyfriend in the past. She rolled her eyes though and muttered, “Whatever.” Minho chuckled at her childishness and grabbed her small wrist and they walked home.



The doorbell rang and Jang Hyunseung hurriedly went to open the door.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” Jaeri’s overprotective brother instantly fired questions at her.

“I’m fine.” She smiled, but sneezed.

“Aish,” Hyunseung complained. “Really...” He ran upstairs and came back down with a towel for both Minho and Jaeri. Jaeri dried her hair while Minho used his towel and helped Jaeri dry hers.

“Minho, you don’t have to help dry my hair. I can do it myself.” Jaeri told the older boy.

“Ah...Yes, you’re right...” He said awkwardly. He slowly brought his hand back and wiped his own hair, cursing himself silently.

“Go take a shower first Jaeri.” Hyunseung told her. She nodded at her brother and made her way up the stairs. As soon as Jaeri was out of the earshot, Hyunseung asked Minho, “How did you know where she was?” Minho, who was still drying his hair, replied, “Kikwang gave me a call. He told me Jaeri ran out.”

“Ah really... I’ll have to beat Kikwang for dumping my sister.” He said with a frustrated look on his face. Minho smiled and said, “No worries, I’ll be accompanying you.”

----------------------------------------------------

Although Jaeri had just broken up with Kikwang, her mind wasn’t on that jerk anymore. She was wondering how Minho found her even though she didn’t call home. She continued to ponder about this matter while getting out of the shower. However, as she wrapped her towel around her body, the door to the bathroom opened. She turned around to face Minho and gasped. Luckily she had her towel on so he didn’t and couldn’t see anything. Jaeri quickly turned around again, her face becoming hot.

Minho opened the door to the Jang family’s bathroom only to find Jaeri still there. For a moment he saw her back and then her whole body (with certain parts of her body covered by the towel). Jaeri had quickly turned around before Minho could take a good glance. She was beautiful. Her body was shaped perfectly from head to toe. Her wet hair ran down to the middle of her back and the ends of her hair were a bit wavy. Without thinking, he slipped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her head.

Jaeri gasped at Minho’s sudden boldness and her face flushed, growing hotter by the minute. As if Minho’s boldness turned a bolt in Jaeri’s body, her arms raised up and cupped his face in her hands. She looked up to find Minho staring curiously at her. She gave him a small smile and soon their faces were inches away. Jaeri could feel Minho’s hot breath on her lips and closed her eyes halfway, prepared to receive the kiss. As if both of them realized their rash movements, they both broke apart, their hearts pounding. Minho fled from the bathroom to what he claimed as his room and shut the door. It was his room because he spent countless nights sleeping over. Hyunseung and Jaeri’s parents didn’t care because they were always overseas, busy with their business. He slid to the floor and took deep breaths. Never had his heart pounded so much when he was with Jaeri. He knew the reason for his pounding heart though; it was the first time Jaeri had reacted to Minho’s actions like that.

Jaeri stood in the middle of the bathroom before snapping out of her daze. She quickly put her clothes back on and retreated to her room. Flopping onto her bed, she felt her heart pounding harder and faster every waking second. How could her heart be pounding so hard just after breaking up with her boyfriend? She sighed and soon she fell into a deep slumber.


Before Jaeri woke up the next morning, Hyunseung and Minho took the chance to leave the house to meet Kikwang at the nearby park. Hyunseung wrote a little note to Jaeri and left it on the kitchen counter. After that little deed was done, both males left the house.

As they reached the park, they saw Kikwang. The boy waved but his face was expressionless. “What’s up?”

“Why’d you break up with my sister?” Hyunseung asked, getting straight to the point. Minho put a hand on Hyunseung’s shoulder, signalling him to calm down.

“‘Cause I couldn’t get in her pants,” Kikwang smiled playfully. Hyunseung was about to erupt with anger but noticed Kikwang was joking. He let out a dry laugh and said, “Now tell me the truth.” Kikwang sighed and began his story.

“You know Hyunee?”

“Uh-huh, Jaeri’s best friend right?” Minho said.

“Yeah, she confessed to me two weeks ago and has been bothering me ever since. I don’t think Jaeri knows about it ‘cause she hasn’t talked to me about it.” Before Minho or Hyunseung could interrupt, Kikwang continued. “I know Minho has loved Jaeri ever since we were kids and recently I’ve discovered Jaeri’s heart isn’t completely with mine anymore...”

“So I purposely set it up so I was cheating on her and then she left. I texted Minho to pick Jaeri up,” he finished, taking a deep breath.

“You didn’t need to do that...” Minho said softly. “I know, but you would’ve wanted it right? You’ve waited long enough.” Kikwang smiled sadly. “But just remember, if you don’t treat Jaeri right, I will steal her back.”

The three boys laughed and made their way to school.

“Don’t forget,” Hyunseung told them, “We are not to say anything about this to Jaeri okay?” Both boys nodded and they began to walk away from the park.

----------------------------------------------------

The school was buzzing as the news of breakup of Jaeri and Kikwang spread throughout the school like wildfire. Although Jaeri felt uncomfortable with the rumors spreading around, she pasted on a confident face before going to school. This morning she found a note on the kitchen counter from her brother, telling her he’d go to school earlier than usual because of a meeting. Apparently Minho had gone with him also as she couldn’t find him in his room. She had to eat breakfast and walk to school alone, which she absolutely despised. What was worse, she had a humongous headache once she woke up this morning.

“Jaeri!” Her best friend ran up to her while she was on her way to her classroom and gave her a hug. “Are you okay?” Jaeri managed to smile at her best friend, Hyunee. She knew she was asking about how she was dealing with the rumours flowing through the school and fought the urge to tell her that she was far from fine.

“Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry Hyunee,” she told her, smiling. Hyunee let out a breath of relief. She had been worried about Jaeri not being able to handle it. There was also another reason she let out a breath of relief, but Jaeri didn’t need to know her secret.

“So are the rumors true?” Hyunee asked. “What, that I got pregnant and that’s why Kikwang broke up with me?” She scoffed. Hyunee nodded, sensing the sarcasm in her voice. Jaeri answered with a strong ‘No’. Hyunee then proceeded to ask Jaeri if she was okay with the breakup. Jaeri shrugged and smiled. “I’m better off without him.” Hyunee returned Jaeri’s smile and knew she wasn’t lying. Jaeri would wrinkle her nose before telling a lie and this was something only she, Hyunseung, Kikwang, and Minho knew. She hooked arms with Jaeri and skipped towards their classroom.


As the day was beginning to end, she received a text from her brother.

From: Jang Hyunseung
To: Jang Jaeri

Not coming home during the weekend. Hanging out at gf’s.

She frantically texted him back.

WHAT?! Who’s gonna stay home with me then?!

As she proceeded to put her cell phone back into her pocket, her phone vibrated once again.

Well I gotta take advantage of mom and dad not here. -3- No worries, Minho will be with you aaaaalll weekend! ^^ I’ve asked him to watch over you so be nice! I’m gonna be going to gf’s house straight after school so go home like a nice little girl!

Jaeri cursed under her breath. How could her brother leave her with Minho? Minho was nice and her brother’s friend so she guessed it was okay. But at the end of the day, Minho was still a guy. Most importantly, why was her heart beating so fast? Besides, her parents were always away; one time they came home for Hyunseung’s birthday, except they were half a year off. Hyunseung and Jaeri were stunned and were quite happy that they came home. That was before they found out their parents didn’t even know their own children’s birthdays. So why would her brother choose this weekend of all weekends to spend it with his girlfriend?

She sighed, her head literally hurting from thinking so much. Her head was pounding as if her heart was there in place of her brain. It was worse than the headaches she received from her periods. The bell rang and students gathered their materials, filing out of the room. Jaeri stayed glued to her seat though, even when Hyunee came up to her. She tiredly waved Hyunee off and Hyunee took that as a sign to not bother her. Jaeri groaned and furiously swung her legs. She buried her head in her arms on the desk and decided to take a long nap, hoping that would ease her head pain.

“Not going home yet?”

Jaeri’s head sleepily shot up and rubbed her eyes with her left hand. It couldn’t be Minho... could it? Minho was leaning against the doorway, his hands in his pockets. “What are you doing here?” She asked sleepily.

“It’s time to go home, you sleepyhead.” He walked up to her and began packing her things for her. When he was done, Jaeri refused to get up. “I’m tired... Let me sleep Minho...” She told him. “Come on Jaeri, don’t be a kid. Get up.” Minho pulled her up successfully but Jaeri ended up falling to the ground. He could feel that something was up and lifted his hand to her forehead. He was surprised to find her forehead burning up. Panicking, he quickly ushered Jaeri to climb onto his back. She unwillingly obeyed and Minho piggybacked Jaeri with his and her backpack in his hands.


Minho gently placed Jaeri down on the couch before flopping onto the couch himself. He was beyond tired after carrying Jaeri home. Regaining his strength, he carried Jaeri into her room and nicely put her onto her bed. After placing a wet towel on her forehead and covering her with her bedsheets, he watched Jaeri’s chest slowly heaving up and down. Slowly, Minho’s eyelids began to droop and he fell into a deep sleep by Jaeri’s bedside.

When Jaeri woke up the next morning, she found Minho sleeping soundly by her bedside. She could feel herself smiling and his cheek gently. Minho stirred and soon his eyes began to flutter open. Jaeri quickly withdrew her hand but she was no match for Minho’s hands. “So it was you,” he said sleepily and smiling, “Who touched my cheek.” Jaeri blushed and looked the other way. Minho propped himself up and holding Jaeri’s face with his large hands, he planted a kiss on her forehead.

“Glad you’re feeling better.” He said, making his way to the door. Jaeri quickly scrambled up and followed Minho down the stairs to the kitchen. They made sandwiches filled with Nutella, which Jaeri loved, and left the house to go to the park. There, they met an old lady with a large white Labrador Retriever. The Labrador, also known as Dageun, enjoyed their company very much and chased them around. Dageun Minho’s face countless times causing Jaeri to laugh. After Minho’s face wet, Dageun would proceed to Jaeri’s face. Jaeri ran away every time, squealing while Minho watched the scene before him.

The old lady invited the two youngsters to her house for lunch which they gladly accepted. From there, they conversed for over two hours, discussing their life. They found that the old lady lived fairly close to their home and promised they would come over again to visit her and Dageun.

“You and Minho-ssi look very cute together.” The old lady said smugly.

“No, we’re just friends...” Jaeri quickly defended as the old lady nodded sarcastically. “That’s what all youngsters say. Lying to us elders, what bad children...” She mumbled.

“Well we better get going!” Minho said. “Goodbye ahjumma!” Jaeri and Minho said in unison, waving. The old lady waved back and smiled. Kids these days...

As they walked home, Jaeri suddenly had the idea of eating ice cream, bribing Minho to treat her to ice cream. She didn’t need to bribe Minho; he would’ve bought her the ice cream willingly anyway. He grinned and requested that Jaeri make the curry he loved. She agreed, and after their ice cream, they went to the supermarket to buy the ingredients. They had a fun time trying every piece of food offered at the food stalls, feeding each other, lost in their own world. By the time they were done shopping and home, it was six o’clock and clouds were slowly looming over the city. Jaeri took this chance to prepare dinner for the two of them.

While Jaeri prepared dinner, Minho silently checked the necklace he had bought Jaeri for the umpteenth time that day. Minho had bought the necklace while Jaeri was busy picking out the ingredients for curry. He told her he was going to go to the washroom and Jaeri shooed him off, still pondering on whether she should buy the spicy paste or the normal paste. By the time he returned, she was still in that aisle except she was looking at a different product.

Minho traced the outline of the necklace with his finger. It was in the shape of a key, perfectly shaped. He quickly put the necklace back in his pocket, in case Jaeri saw. Jaeri and Minho heard a large rumble from the sky followed by another large rumble. The lights began to flicker until the power turned off. Jaeri had been putting the finishing touches on the curry when the lights went out. She dropped the pan and ran out. Engulfed by the darkness, she began to cry. Although she was usually very strong, she was vulnerable when it came to darkness.

Minho heard the cries of Jaeri and rushed to her side while knocking into a few things here and there. “What’s wrong Jaeri?” He asked her, panic evident in his voice. Jaeri rushed to Minho and cried in his chest. He was utterly surprised at first but relaxed and smiled. He wrapped one of his arms around her body and another on her head, caressing her hair gently. “It’s all right, everything’s fine.”

Jaeri nodded and was grateful for Minho’s comfort. While she was crying, she couldn’t help but notice the uneven beats of his and her heart. They stayed in that position for quite a while. When the lights turned back on, she pulled away hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to. As she looked up to face Minho, his face was slightly red and Jaeri could feel hers red too. “Ah, let me go get the curry...” She trailed off and made her way to the kitchen. Minho’s large hand encircled Jaeri’s wrist and pulled her back to his body. Jaeri was glad he made that move; she already missed the way Minho’s chest felt.

“Close your eyes.” Minho said. Jaeri obeyed and when Minho told her to open her eyes, she found a beautiful key necklace around her neck. She opened to speak but was only silenced by Minho’s hug. Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer towards him.

“I love you.” He whispered in her ear. She shuddered, feeling Minho’s hot breath on her skin. Yet, Jaeri smiled. She looked up to him and whispered, “I love you too.”

----------------------------------------------------

On Saturday night, they had gone to bed together, snuggling close to each other. On Sunday, they spent the day at the amusement park, commemorating their first day as boyfriend and girlfriend. As both of them knew, they were quite competitive and when it came to playing bumper cars, they were always bumping each other. They treated each other the same, except sprinkled with a little bit of love.

The next day when they arrived at school in the morning, Hyunee bounced up to her. “Congrats on becoming a couple!” She grinned. Jaeri returned the grin as people swarmed and congratulated them. Minho and Jaeri sideways glanced at each other and chuckled. You could say they were both in heaven, having found each other.

Kikwang watched in the distance, smiling happily for Jaeri. I hope you’re happy Jaeri. A comforting hand was placed on his shoulder and he turned around to face Hyunseung. “You did a good job Kikwang.” He smiled. “Thanks for giving both of them happiness.” Kikwang smiled warmly as Hyunseung pointed to Hyunee bouncing towards them. “Good luck ‘bro.” With one last pat on the shoulder, Hyunseung left to his girlfriend’s side.

“Oppa,” Hyunee shyly asked, “Do you want to go try out this new cafe after school?” Kikwang chuckled, amused at Hyunee’s attempt to ask him out on a date. Why not? He thought. Eventually, he would have to let Jaeri go. “Of course,” he said, deciding to take her offer. Hyunee beamed and skipped away gleefully. Kikwang chuckled and looked at the happy couple in the distance. Goodbye Jaeri. I love you.

That day, Minho and Jaeri took a trip to the beach in their uniforms. “Minho, hurry up!” Jaeri whined. “The sun is almost setting!” Minho chuckled and quickly ran to her side, interlocking their fingers together while watching the sunset. As the mixtures of orange, yellow and pink began turning a bright dark blue, Jaeri turned to face Minho.

“I love you Minho.” She said softly. Without saying anything, Minho returned her confession with a passionate kiss under the starry sky.