So Eun swallowed, standing in front of the mirror and checking herself.

Her Pororo alarm clock rang madly and So Eun walked over to switch it off, the first time in a long long time she had a chance to do that. She mused at the humor of the situation.

The one time Kim So Eun was excited enough to wake up even before her Pororo woke her up, she hoped to not have such a situation happening instead.

So Eun sighed softly, looking at herself in the mirror and adjusting the cream coloured wool sweater and plaited dark blue mini skirt. She honestly couldn't be bothered with how she looked that day because she didn't even want to go on this date. She knew what her answer would be even before the whole day had passed.

Jongup was a nice guy.

If he was her boyfriend, he would make sure she was the happiest girl on earth, he would never make her cry and she would never ever betray her or anything of the likes. He would love her like she was the only one he saw, make her smile and wipe away her tears.

And that was the reason why she should never delay telling Jongup that she didn't like him in that way.

The only reason why she didn't tell him no the moment he told her his feelings was because of their years of friendship. She wanted to let him know that he was going to have a chance with her because she respected his feelings.

But that was as far as she was going. Because she respected him, she would tell him her real feelings at the end of the day.

And she so didn't look forward to it.

So Eun grabbed her bag nervously. She didn't know how she was supposed to act in front of Jongup now that he had told her he liked her. They were friends for so many years and that relationship worked up very fine. The sudden change in the romantic direction was alarming and uncomfortable.

She got out of her room at the same time as Daehyun got out of his. They stopped abruptly at their doors, staring at each other. So Eun cleared , not knowing why she felt slightly embarrassed getting caught dressing up for a date. "G-Good morning, Daehyun."

"Hn." Daehyun grunted. His eyes travelled from her head to her toe and he bit his lip. A surge of jealousy fired through his veins and he had to look away before his expression gave his feelings away.

The sight of her dressing up for someone else, even if that he was the one who encouraged that someone else to confess, was upsetting. Extremely.

Daehyun walked away, going down the stairs without saying anything else. So Eun chewed on the insides of her cheeks as she followed behind him, wondering if he had overheard her telling her mother she was going on a date with Jongup that day.

They got to the breakfast table and her parents were already there. They greeted the adults and sat down, reaching for their toasts.

"So, you're going on a date with Jongup today?" Mr Kim raised his brows at So Eun. So Eun gasped and shot accusing looks at her mother. "Umma! I thought I told you not to tell Appa!" her cheeks flamed.

Mrs Kim laughed. "How am I supposed to keep this from your dad?" she mused. "Anyway it wasn't me who told your father. It was Jongup's dad." she grinned.

So Eun bit into her toast and glanced at Daehyun, gaging his reaction. So now he knew she was going to a date with Jongup, would he react to it?

Daehyun looked emotionless as he chewed on his toast, as if he hadn't even heard anything.

So Eun frowned and looked away. He didn't care for her enough as a friend to show concern over her first date?

"Just thinking," So Eun looked from her mother to father. "Do you two want me and Jongup to get together? If...I said if," she swallowed. "If we don't work out, will it be awkward for you guys and Jongup's parents?"

"So Eun," Mrs Kim smiled. "You don't need to worry about that. If you and Jongup become girlfriend boyfriend, that's great. If you don't, we'll all still be good friends. Feeling is important in a relationship and you just need to worry about it, So Eun. Not anything else."

So Eun heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks umma."

"Now now it's time to go. I think I see that boy waiting for you outside now." Mr Kim ruffled So Eun's hair. "Have fun!'

So Eun waved goodbye to them, her gaze lingering on Daehyun. He didn't acknowledge her or anything and she pouted lightly, disappointed, as she got out to the front porch to meet Jongup.

-----

Jongup was waiting with the largest brightest smile on earth when So Eun got out.

"Hi So Eun!" he ed a bouquet of roses at her. So Eun accepted it uncomfortably and her lips nervously. "Thanks, Jongup. I'll pass this to my mom for a bit." she looked through the window and called for her mother, passing the bouquet to Mrs Kim.

Mrs Kim smiled at the two and So Eun felt uncomfortable how people were seeing her and Jongup as a couple even though they weren't one yet. It was just a test date. Not a real one.

"Let's go." So Eun forced a smile at Jongup and the two of them set off.

They went to the bus stop to take a bus and Jongup made them stop at Apujeong. So Eun bit her lip as she followed beside Jongup as they walked down the street. They had gone to Apujeong countless times to date, however it was always with the other BAP boys and not alone like this.

Jongup seemed to be a little flustered by this as well and he couldn't help rubbing the back of his neck. "Uhm, so I guess we'll walk around?"

So Eun gave him a small smile. "Sure."

They strolled down the street with a 5 inch gap between them and So Eun hugged her bag as she looked around. They didn't say a word to each other in comparison to the endless chatter that erupted every single time. They were great friends but when they went on a date like this, everything seemed wrong.

Jongup bit his lip, slightly anxious. He liked So Eun didn't he? She was a nice girl. When they went on a date like this, shouldn't he be elated and all?

Why did he feel as if the entire awkward journey was a torture?

Making up his mind to cure the awkwardness, Jongup turned to So Eun. "Let's visit that shop and get the other boys some T-shirts shall we?" he thought bringing out their other friends would ease the level of uncomfort.

It did. So Eun smiled and nodded. "Good idea, that Bang Yongguk would be complaining about us not getting him stuff. Quick thinking, Jongup." she mused.

They went into the T-shirt store and looked through the various designs. So Eun knew the boys' tastes really well and didn't take long to choose the designs for all of them.

She showed Jongup her choices for the other four when Jongup was still making his mind up on his own T-shirt.

"This one with the words I rule the world would be for Yongguk." So Eun pointed. "This one with a cute cat is for Zelo. The dark blue one with complicated splashes of colours is for Himchan. The last one with chemistry lab equipment pictures is for Youngjae." she grinned.

Jongup broke into a smile. "You know them well." he agreed with her choices. "Which one do you think I should get for myself?"

So Eun looked between his two choices of "Dance Machine" and another cool design of "Survivor of 2012/12/21 Apocalypse."

"I like this better." So Eun pointed to the second shirt. "But I think the first one suits you better." she tapped her chin.

Jongup nodded at her choice and put back the second shirt. "I was thinking just that." he smiled. So Eun grinned and looked around the shop. "Of course I know your choices, I've known you since forever. You guys are like my brothers."

She faltered at her absent-minded words and Jongup shrugged, smiling. "It's okay."

"Sorry, slip of tongue." So Eun mentally smacked herself. Jongup followed behind her, carrying the shirts she had chosen. He wondered why he didn't feel hurt when she called him his brother. He almost wanted to nod and agree until he realized it was wrong.

So Eun tapped her chin as she scanned the other shirts available. She still had to get one for Daehyun.

Her eyes trailed around the shelves and she twisted her lips. She caught sight of a plain black tee with the words "Mr Mysterious" in front and she smiled. That was the one she was looking for.

She got the shirt and she insisted in paying for half of the shirts even though Jongup wanted to pay for everything. They exited the shop and continued walking down the street, the awkwardness quickly returning after they had finished shopping for the BAP boys.

Jongup looked around at the other couples who were holding hands and cuddling as they walked and glanced back at So Eun. He bit his lip and walked closer beside So Eun. Their hands brushed and So Eun blinked at him, stiffening at once.

Jongup retracted his hand, pinking. "Sorry."

"No problem." So Eun murmured.

And for the second time of the day even though their date just started, Jongup wished they were out as friends and not lovers.