“WHAT THE HELL, HYUNG!” Jonghyun and Key yelled in exasperation as they gaped at the older man. “THAT IS NOT HOW TO ASK A GIRL OUT ON A DATE!”

Onew gave them a baffled look. “What?”

Key slapped his hand on his face. “Hyung, you can’t just go to her and just say ‘hey, wanna go out’! That’s just scary, hyung. Seungyeon noona might think you’re a stalker.”

“Then what should I do?” He asked; a frown soon appearing on her lips. “Say something else?”

“Hyung, you’re hopeless.” Jonghyun groaned. “Girls like it when it’s well thought of, sweet… all those mushy, girly things.”

“Help me then!” Onew scowled at them. “That’s the point of why I asked you for help with Seung noona.”

The two exchanged a look; the younger one opening his mouth to reply. “Hyung, why are you asking us single men about it? Why won’t you ask Minho instead? I’m sure he can help.”

“He’s on vacation with Yuri, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Jonghyun tapped his chin in thought. “Why won’t you ask Hara for help then? She knows Seungyeon noona better than all of us do.”

Onew brightened at the idea, leaving the two behind before they could even say anything else.

o-o-o-o-o

Yong Junhyung blinked as Onew dashed inside the café he and Hara were in, skidding to a stop by their table. “What happened?”

Onew took the time to catch his breath before he replied. “I need your help.”

“Oppa, what’s wrong?” Hara asked as Junhyung pulled a chair for the other male.

His eyes fell on her boyfriend. “Junhyung, help me.”

“How?”

“How did you ask Hara out on a date?”

Hara’s eyes automatically turn into saucers. “YOU’RE GOING TO ASK SEUNGYEON UNNIE OUT ON A DATE?!”

                Junhyung and Onew could only watch as she blabbered on and on about the truth that Onew had yet to confirm; her excitement getting the best of her. Her boyfriend could only groan as she attracted more and more attention towards their table; an apologetic look so being given to the other male. Onew could only sigh before he silently left the café.

o-o-o-o-o

“WHY DID YOU BORROW MY RED NAIL POLISH?!”

“I RAN OUT!”

Jessica scowled in annoyance. “YOU SHOULD’VE ASKED FOR PERMISSION!”

Heechul made a face. “YOU WEREN’T HERE.”

Onew regarded the two hesitantly as he approached them. Heechul and Jessica were always fighting that it surprised “Is it safe?”

She was still fuming. “YOU SHOULD’VE BORROWED FROM SOMEONE ELSE!”

“But I like yours!” Heechul pouted.

Jessica threw her hands in the air in frustration and Onew took a step back. “IT DOESN’T HURT TO ASK!”

His pout deepened and Onew knew right then that Heechul knew that he lost. “I’ll buy you a new one, Sica… and five more other colors if you want.”

She brightened almost automatically and she hugged him. “Can we buy now?”

“Sure.” Heechul laughed, pulling away from Jessica to finally acknowledge Onew. “Jinki, what’s up?”

                Onew looked at them with an unreadable expression on his face. Now he had an answer to his curiosity. Heechul and Jessica fought frequently but they knew how to spoil each other… too much at times. He could only guess how much the older male spent courting Jessica. Onew was never into material things and it was safe to say that Seungyeon wasn’t as well. With a sigh, he turned around and left Heechul and Jessica with twin looks of confusion on their faces.

o-o-o-o-o

Key looked up from the iPhone; his eyes meeting those defeated ones of his hyung. “It went bad?”

“That’s the understatement of the year.” Onew grumbled as he closed the door with his foot, flinging himself to the nearest couch soon after. “I didn’t get anything useful out of anyone.”

“Nothing?” The younger man’s jaw dropped, throwing his iPhone to the side so he could focus more on the conversation. “What happened?”

“I tried asking Junhyung and Hara but she just kept on hyperventilating about me asking Seung noona out on a date.” He grimaced at the memory. “Jessica and Heechul hyung were busy fighting over her red nail polish to even give me the time of day.”

“Red nail polish?” Key repeated before promptly bursting into a fit of laughter.

“What’s happening?” Jonghyun asked as he appeared from the kitchen; his eyes falling on Onew. “How did it go?”

“Bad… very bad.” The eldest of the three males sighed and he smacked his palm on his face. “Where’s Taemin?”

“You missed him… just a couple of minutes actually.” Jonghyun replied as he sat down next to Key. “He went to the playground with Sulli, I think.”

“The playground?” He repeated.

Key’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. “They really are practically still kids, right?”

“That means I don’t think I can ask them for help right now too.” Onew sighed again before he groaned out loud. “What am I gonna do?”

Jonghyun fell silent for a moment; his face soon brightening as he came up with an idea. “How about you go look for Kai, hyung?”

Onew straightened up. “Kai?”

“You know… Taemin’s best friend? Sooyoung noona’s boyfriend?” Key rolled his eyes. “I think you’ll get something useful out of them.”

A slow but wide smile made its way across Onew’s his face as he bolted up from the couch. “Thank you! You guys are a life saver!”

Key and Jonghyun watched as he scrammed out the door, closing it with a bang. “He really does like Seungyeon noona.”

o-o-o-o-o

                Kai kept an arm around Sooyoung’s slender frame, pulling her close to his side as they walked down the sidewalk. She looked up and her eyes met his; a beaming smile automatically making its way to her beautiful face. He chuckled softly, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as they headed for the park. It was probably one of their favourite places to be in – it was quiet, simple and just absolutely perfect for both of them.

“Kai! Sooyoung! WAIT!”

Kai dropped his arm only to take Sooyoung’s hand in his as they both turned around, finding Onew running towards them. “Onew hyung?”

“Wait! WAIT!” He yelled once more, coming to a screeching halt before the couple. He panted as he caught his breath, resting his palms on his knees.

The couple exchanged a look. “Oppa, are you alright?” Sooyoung asked.

Onew in a sharp breath as he straightened up. “I need your help.”

“With what?” The two chirped in chorus.

His eyes fell on the younger man. “Kai, how did you court Sooyoung?”

Kai didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was taken aback by the sudden question. “Well… You know it wasn’t easy, hyung, since I’m four years younger than noona and–”

“That’s why I need your help.” He interrupted him smoothly. “I need to know what you did right.”

An eyebrow rose. “Is this because of Seungyeon noona?”

Onew’s jaw dropped. “How did you know?”

“Taemin and I are best friends, you know.”

“All that Kai had to do was to be himself.” Sooyoung entered the conversation before Onew could say anything else, smiling sweetly at Kai before she continued. “And I think that’s what you have to do also when it comes to Seungyeon, unnie.”

Kai nodded, patting him encouragingly on the shoulder. “Good luck, hyung. I’m sure you can do it.”

As the couple walked away, Onew stayed rooted in his spot. “But how am I going to be myself?”

A defeated sigh escaped his lips and he turned around and headed home. Sooyoung’s words echoed in his mind over and over again as he walked. How was he going to be himself with Seungyeon well all he was – at least as far as he was concerned – was a shy, clumsy guy around her? Onew used to think that asking a girl out on a date was easy… it used to be. But not this time around.

Seungyeon was so different.

There was something about her… something that made him fear screwing up.

“Onew!”

He scowled. Great. Now his ears are playing tricks on him.

“ONEW!” The voice that sounded so much like Seungyeon’s yelled once more. “Yah, wait up!”

                Onew froze, not quite daring himself to turn around and see if everything was real. After all his disappointments that day, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to see her at the moment. But a part of him panicked, not wanting her to think that he was mad at her or something like that. Silently cursing his luck, he turned around and his breath hitched in his throat at the sight of her. He forced the best smile on his face, waiting until she had reached him before he spoke.

“Noona… What are you doing here?”

Seungyeon gave him this smile that he couldn’t quite describe. “I ran into Hara a while ago.”

His eyes widened, threatening to pop out of their sockets. “Uh… R-Really?”

“She told me that you were going around, asking people how to ask me out for a date.” She smiled so sweetly and Onew felt like he was going to faint. Because of what, he wasn’t quite sure. “She looked really excited.”

Onew swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat. “Uh…Noona, I can explain…”

“So how did it go?” She asked, genuinely interested.

His shoulders deflated in disappointment. “Bad.”

“You didn’t find any way, then?” When he shook his head, she giggled. “Okay, then… How about we do it this way?”

His eyes met hers as he held his breath, waiting for what she had to say.

“Would you like to go out on a date with me, Lee Jinki?”