The kiss was gentle and sweet.

It has been a long time since I last kissed her, but I still remembered her soft lips and warm touch. It lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away.

"S-Sorry... It's my f-fault." Eun Mi blushed, stuttering as she got up. "I was clumsy and fell. A-are you okay?"

"...Yeah." I slowly got up on my feet and the lights. The lightbulb flickered on and lit up the kitchen. She bent down where all the ingredients were strewn across the floor.

"The eggs! Are the eggs cracked? I hope not..."

Amazingly, the eggs had survived the crash to the floor. The person who invented the styro-foam thing to protect them was a genius.

I helped her put the ingredients on the counter, one by one. She didn't say anything about what just happened.

"About... about the kiss..." I started.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean to." Eun Mi turned to me, still pink in the cheeks. "I-it was an accident..."

"Accident?" I repeated softly. "Oh... yeah. It was just an accident..."

She hid her face behind a curtain of hair and tried to change the subject. "Um, how do we make cupcakes?"

"You don't know how?"

"No... I don't bake sweets."

"To the Internet we go!" I brought my laptop out and Googled how to make cupcakes. Maybe if I hid my disppointment and acted normal, she would feel more comfortable. "Let's get started."

I clicked on a random website and Eun Mi came over, looking at the screen from behind my shoulder. "The first step is to pre-heat the oven to thee-fifty degrees."

She went over to the oven and twisted one of the knobs. "Is it this one?"

"I think so." Hopefully it was, or else we were dead. "Then cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. When light and fluffy, beat in the eggs."

"Will this work?" She had fished a random bowl out up one of the cupboards. I nodded 'sure' and she put the butter and sugar in. 

"Not too much sugar!" I went over and took her hand, showing her how much we needed. She blushed and nodded.

I let go and went back to the laptop. "While you do that, I'll whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt." 

Taking out another bowl, I filled into with the needed contents and whisked it with jerky movements. After a while, Eun Mi came over to me and pointed at her bowl. "Is this light and fluffy enough?"

"I don't know." I answered truthfully. "I mean, how can something be light and fluffy?"

She giggled and shrugged. "I think when it means it looks like marshmallows."

The two of us, amateur chefs, went on with our "baking". The uncomfortable tension between us disappeared and we laughed as we mixed the ingredients in a mixer and all that fancy stuff, only less proffesional-like.

When the cupcakes were finally poured into the liners in the trays (most of them were overflowing with the batter), we shoved it in the heated oven. Eun Mi washed her hands and I saw the faded scars on her wrists.

"Did you tell Changjo yet?" I asked.

She turned off the water and dried her hands. "Tell him what?"

"About your scars..."

"Oh. I did, but he got quiet and didn't say anything about them. Do you think he's mad at me for them?"

"Why would he be?" I told her. "It's not your fault."

"...Okay." Eun Mi said, laughing lightly. 

We sat down at the kitchen table and waited for the cupcakes to bake. She looked around the silent room before asking me a question.

"What do you usually do in your free time?"

"I play the violin and the piano." I answered.

"Jinjja? Changjo oppa does too!" She exclaimed. Actually, he doesn't. I do, but she mixed us up... "Can you play for me?"

"Play? Right now?"

"Please?" Eun Mi pouted cutely.

"Arasseo. Let me go get my violin from my room." I got up and got to the base of the stairs before turnig around again. "Oh, I have a question."

"What is it?" She said eagerly. "Ask away."

"Why do you do so much aegyo now? I mean, you weren't a big fan of acting cute before..."

She blushed and looked down at her hands. "It's embarrassing to admit but... a while ago Ricky wanted me to do 'buing buing'. Changjo oppa saw me do it and told me he liked my aegyo. So I do it often for him."

"Oh. That's why." I nodded and went up the stairs to my room  to look for my violin case.

It was me who said I liked her aegyo. I remembered the way she had put her hands up to her cheeks and said "buing buing" in a high voice. It was so cute, I swear I died. I'm surprised she remembered about that...

I found my case and took out the string instrument along with the bow. I went downstairs where Eun Mi was still waiting for me. "What do you want me to play?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment and pointed to a notebook on a nearby book self. "How about something from that book?"

I went over to it and got it off the self. It was my lyrics and music notebook, the one that I composed songs and music in. This book traveled everywhere around the house; wasn't it supposed to be in my room? "This is..."

"You compose songs, don't you?" She smiled as I nodded. "You look like the composing type."

"I do?" I flipped through the pages of the old notebook. I stopped at a song I had titled Missing You. I handed her the notebook and pointed to the lyrics with my bow. "I can't sing while I play, so just follow along. I'm going to play the melody."

She nodded and I positioned the violin under my chin properly. I raised my bow and began to play. The beautiful sound of the strings filled the room and felt calming. I closed my eyes and drowned myself within the song. I got through the first part of the chorus when my eyes snapped open. I heard the lyrics being sung.

"That such a thing couldn’t possibly be, that you wouldn’t do such a thing.

That there would be no goodbyes, it's what I believed.

I wonder where it all began, like a puzzle that can't be done.

That the start of my yearning, was all due to you."

I looked over at Eun Mi. She was singing what was written in the book. She caught my eye and smiled. It was amazing how she knew the melody of the song after listening to it just once.

"I’m missing you, missing you, person I miss to death.

The words I cannot say though I miss you so much and long for you.

I’m missing you, missing you.

Person I loved to that extent,

Won’t you return to me again, I’m missing you."

I loved the way her melodic voice accompanied my violin. It was beautiful. I stopped at the bridge and she stopped too. "That was amazing, Eun Mi!"

"What are you talking about? It was your violin playing that was breath-taking." She said. 

"I'm serious. You're voice is amazing."

She cocked her head to the side and gave me a smile. "Gommawo. That means a lot to me."

I blushed and scooted over closer to her, holding out my violin. "Do you want to try?"

"Try playing it?" I nodded and she gasped in delight. "I've always wanted to try."

I put the violin under her chin and she held out her arm to hold the bow. I took her wrist and guided it over to the right position. "Sit up straight, no slouching. Your body posture is important."

Eun Mi nodded and did as she was told. She hesitantly dragged the bow across the strings and it screeched a high-but-out-of-tune F-sharp. She immediately lowered the violin and laughed. "I don't think this is a good idea. You could go deaf if I continue."

"It's alright. Everyone starts out like that." I leaned forward and positioned the fingers on her left hand. "This part is similar to the guitar. You hold these strings down to get different notes."

She nodded and followed my guidance. She tried out a few more notes that sounded pretty smooth and good, for a beginner.

Suddenly the oven timer rang and we looked up from the violin. She put it down carefully on the table and we headed into the kitchen together. "They're ready!"

"I'll take them out. You could burn yourself." I said. Opening the oven, I put on a pair of mittens and took the tray out.

"Wow, so manly." Eun Mi rolled her eyes jokingly at me. I gave her a toothy grin and put the tray on the table.

"Let's frost the cupcakes now!" I took a few cans of frosting from the bag and handed one to her. "Time for the fun to begin."

She smiled and squirted some pink frosting on my nose. "Tag, you're it!"

"Ya!" I held up my own can of blue frosting, threatening her. "I have a weapon too!"

Eun Mi giggled and ran away from me. I squirted a huge blob of frosting on my hand and chased after her. She was on one side of the table and I was on the other. She moved left and I mimicked her. She moved right and I did the same.

"That's not fair!" She wailed childishly. Then she ran to the right but I caught her and smeared my hand of frosting on her cheek.

"YA!!!" She cried, wacking me. "Lee Byunghun!! What do you think you're doing?!?"

I burst out laughing, seeing her in this state. It was so funny, I couldn't contain it anymore. She stopping hitting my shoulder and laughed with me. 

She remembered my name. My full name. 

After what seemed like forever, we stopped giggling like little girls with hissy-fits and frosted the cupcakes with what was left of our frosting weapons. We tried one to see if it was edible; and it was. Surprisingly, our experiment was a success! 

I handed Eun Mi the tray of cupcakes and leaned on the front door to say goodbye. "There, we're done! Don't drop the plate, or else our efforts will go to waste."

"Arasseo." She put on her shoes and looked up at me. "I had fun today. Thanks a lot, L.Joe."

"I did too. Come by any time, alright?" I told her. 

She nodded. "I will. Good night, L.Joe."

"Good night."

I watched her walk away from my house and into the night, trusting her that she'd be okay. She turned around and waved to me. "Bye, oppa!"

Oppa. 

I smiled and waved back. "See you tomorrow, Eun Mi!" I watched her until she disappeared out of my sight. I slowly closed the door and went to sleep with a smile on my face.

-- ♥ --

"Saeng il chook ha hamni da.
Saeng il chook ha hamni da.
Sa rang ha nuen C.A.P.~
Seng il chook ha hamni da!"

We all clapped our hands and whistled for our C.A.P. hyung. He smiled and his eyes became small crecent half moons. "Thanks a lot guys. I apprieciate it."

Teen Top and Eun Mi were wishing him happy birthday after school. He had accepted our gifts too. Ricky and Changjo had gotten him some posters or something like that.

Niel and Chunji had teamed up and got him some sort of book, but they wouldn't show us, which led to Ricky assuming and shouting "NIEL AND CHUNJI HYUNG GOT C.A.P. HYUNG A BOOK!!" to everyone that unfortunately happened to be walking by, which resulted in him getting kicked in the shin and wacked on the head. Ouch.

Everyone tried our cupcakes and agreed they were 'amazingly wonderful and tasted like rainbows that were sprinkled with fluffy unicorns' after I gave them a glare that said 'Say something nice to Eun Mi or I swear you will not live to see tomorrow', who laughed in delight after getting praised. 

We all wanted to go out for some bubble tea or something, but C.A.P. said he was spending his birthday with his parents ("Mommy's boy!", Ricky teased) so everyone went home. Except Changjo, who went to dance practice again.

"Aw, again?" Eun Mi said to him.

He nodded in apology. "Mianhae, we got a gig and we need to practice. I'll come visit you later, arasseo?"

She nodded and we all parted ways. "Will you come with me, L.Joe?"

"Okay." I followed her to her new apartment. 

"Changjo oppa never walks home with me anymore." She pouted. "But it's just because he's busy. I'm so proud of him for being so successful."

I didn't know why, but hearing her talk about Changjo today was ticking me off. What could I do to make her talk about me as an oppa?

I looked over at her, who was smiling and her eyes were practically glinting in the sunlight. She was gazing at the clouds ahead and looked happy and content. Then I had this sudden urge to hug her. So I did.

"Wha-?" Eun Mi exclaimed, surprised when I hugged her from behind. "L.Joe?"

I rested my chin on her shoulder, my arms wrapped around her. "I thought I told you to call me oppa."

"O-oppa...?" She blushed a rosy pink. 

"Do you remember when I said we were really close friends?" I told her in a soft voice. This was the perfect time to tell her, since I didn't yesterday. "What I meant by that was... we were more than that."

"More...?" She had a puzzled look on her face. But then realization dawned to her about what I meant and she blushed even pinker. "I-I don't..."

"You don't remember, I know."  

She shifted her feet and looked around. "People will see, L.Joe..."

I didn't let go of her and slipped something into her hands. "I really want you to remember. So just take this, okay?"

I unwrapped my arms from around her and stepped over to her side. Still pink, she lifted up her hand to see what I had put there. It was the silver heart necklace I had gotten for her in Jinan. 

Eun Mi suddenly drew in a sharp breath and clutched her head with her free head. She stumbled, falling to the ground and I reached out to steady her. "Eun Mi!"

She had closed her eyes and her knees were wobbly, shaking a bit. She clutched my arm and didn't let go.

"Are you okay? Gwaenchanha?"

She didn't answer, her breath turning shallow. The hand holding the necklace was shaking.

"Eun Mi?"

I stood there in concern and worry, not leaving her side. After what seemed like ages, she opened her eyes and looked up at me. Her breathing had returned to normal and her eyes grew wide. 

"Buttface L.Joe?"