That night when I got home from work, I walked straight to my room and sat down on my bed; my dog Roxer following suit and jumping on the bed. “What on earth have I gotten myself into, Roxer??” I scratched behind his ears, causing him to wag his tail happily. “What is it about this guy that’s got me all turned around? I just can’t say no to him… UGH!” I fell back and pulled a pillow over my face trying to drown out the image of his smile from my mind. It was no use. I could just picture his bright blonde hair cascading to one side of his face covering one side of his face but exposing the other to reveal his crescent shaped eyes and adorable nose. Then his irresistibly cute smile. 

 

I sighed as I pulled the pillow off my face, annoyed and confused. A knock came from my door. “Bri, did you just get home?” It was my older brother, Jin. I continued to lie there without responding to him. “Bri??” He knocked louder. Irritated, I walked to my door and opened it. 

 

Jin was a whole head taller than me and had a strong build. He often styled his hair differently depending on his mood. Today, it looked like he just wore a hat; his hair was a mess. Although he carried the same cold stare that I wore, he actually has a warm personality and has no problem making friends. He always worried about me, which sometimes annoyed me, but I loved him. He is my brother after all. 

 

“How was work tonight?” He placed his toothbrush in his mouth while ruffling my hair with his other hand. 

 

I flattened out my hair with a sigh, “It was fine, I guess.” 

 

He took his toothbrush out of his mouth and pointed it at me. “You can’t hide anything from me. You’re more agitated than usual, what happened?” He leaned on the doorframe and continued to brush his teeth. 

 

I shifted uncomfortably debating whether or not to tell him that I met a random guy at work. The next thing I knew Jin brought his hand to my face and flicked my forehead. “Hey, snap out of it.” 

 

“YA! OPPA!” I brought one hand to my forehead and slapped his arm with the other in revenge, but it didn’t seem to phase him. I frowned a bit before looking at him. “Well, I guess I kind of met this guy and I kind of have a date…” 

 

His eyes widened and dropped his jaw almost losing his toothbrush. “W-WHAT?! My little sister met a guy?! AND got a date?!” He scratched his head in confusion. “How did this even happen?” 

 

I shrugged. I wasn’t so sure about it myself; I couldn’t give him an answer. 

 

He placed his hands on my shoulders. “Bri, this is great! After all these years…my little sis is finally going to be a woman!” Appalled by his comment I hit his chest with my fist. 

 

“Oppa, what kind of thing is that to say to your sister? You don’t even know what kind of guy he is. He’s like the polar opposite of me! And what if he’s strange or a really bad guy? Would you still be so happy?” 

 

He laughed and shook his head. “Any guy who managed to break through one of your many walls can’t be all that bad.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “Don’t be so judgmental. Give him a chance.” He messed my hair one more time before going back into the bathroom. 

 

I closed my door behind me and got changed for bed. Roxer jumped off my bed and hopped into his own that was set up at the foot of my bed. I slipped under the sheets pulling my blanket up to my nose and closed my eyes. I began to worry about our upcoming date. “What are we going to talk about? What do I wear? Am I supposed to wear makeup? No, I should keep it casual. But what if he dresses up? I’ll look silly…” all of these things ran through my head as I lay in bed. Finally I let out a frustrated, “GAH!” before turning over in bed and finally falling asleep. 

 

*****************************************

 

A day had gone by like normal, and I woke the next morning I rolled out of bed looking at myself in my closet mirror. “Oh god, it’s today,” I reminded myself. I had a few hours to get ready so I took a quick, refreshing shower, then opened my closet to decide what I would wear. “Keep it simple…I don’t need to impress him…the usual everyday look is fine.” I finally picked out a pair of black skinny jeans, a fitted green long sleeved shirt, and a black jersey knit vest to wear over it. I didn’t even bother trying to style my unruly hair and let it fall as it wanted, just brushing through it a few times before picking up my bag and leaving my room. 

 

Jin grabbed my arm as I passed him going downstairs. He looked me over once. “You’re going on your date looking like that?” 

 

“What’s wrong with the way I look?” 

 

“That’s how you dress everyday.”

 

“Exactly. Why should I get dressed up? This is who I am, he can take it or leave it.” 

 

Jin laughed and shook his head. “Boy, he’s gonna have one heck of a date today.” 

 

I tried to fight back a smile. “I’ll be back later.”  I hurried down the stairs and put on my shoes and gave Roxer a quick pat on the head. Just as I closed the door I heard Jin yell, “Have a good time!” 

 

I caught the bus to the café and walked in to wait for Daesung. I was still a little early so I sat at a table and pulled out a book from my bag to read until he got here. Getting lost in my book, I didn’t realize what time it was. I checked the time and saw that it was already a half an hour passed when we were supposed to meet. I furrowed my brow a bit wondering where he was. I figured he could just be running late and it’s not like he had my number, so he couldn’t call. 

 

I walked over to the sales counter and ordered a drink while I waited. I sat back down with my coffee and began to enjoy my book again. Soon an hour had gone by and I began to feel annoyed and disappointed in myself. I felt like a fool thinking that a handsome guy like him would want to date someone like me. He’s probably forgotten about me already. I finished my drink and packed my book away, making my way to the door. 

 

Just as I reached for the handle, the door flew open and there stood Daesung, out of breath wearing a shocked expression that melted into relief. 

 

“You…you’re still here.” A smile crept to his face. “You waited for me?” 

 

I shifted my eyes awkwardly trying to avoid his stare. “Well, I just…I figured that I’d order and drink and I started reading my book, so I got caught up in it and forgot about the time. It’s no big deal.” I finally moved my eyes to meet his and found him still staring at me, smiling. 

 

He grabbed my free hand with both of his and felt my face start to burn up. “I’m really sorry I’m late. I’m going to make it up to you, I promise!” 

 

“W-Whatever. Let’s just go, ok?” I glanced around us noticing the other customers in the store were watching us. He nodded and smiled shyly and pulled my hand, leading me out of the café.