Something soft and plushy was firmly whacked against my face multiple times.

            “Oppa!” She yelled. “Get up! We have class!” I waited until the beating stopped, then playfully opened one eye and chuckled. She stood next to my bed, fully clothed with her arms crossed and pouting at my sleepy self.

            “Don’t look at me like that, Soo-ah.”

            “I’ll quit pouting when you get up.” I smirked and opened both of my eyes.

            “But you’re cute when you pout.” She blushed, but then cocked her eyebrow and her heel, heading to the kitchen.

            “Fine, then I won’t look at you!” I smiled and jumped out of bed, tackling her from behind and nearly making her fall over. My arms were firmly wrapped around her tiny waist and my chin rested on her shoulder. Her fluffy winter coat felt nice against my bare chest. She squirmed, but eventually gave in and put her hands on mine, giggling.

            “You have twenty minutes to get dressed or you’re going to walk out in the snow in your boxers.” I let go of her and put my hands up in defeat, my skin getting goose bumps in the absence of her warmth. But still, I did as I was told, quickly grabbing a grey turtleneck and a pair of black skinny jeans before shutting the bathroom door behind me.

 

This was how most mornings went for nearly two years.

 

            There was a knock at the bathroom door, “Kris! Hurry up, you slow poke!”

            “I’ll be out in a minute!” I yelled back, my voice muffled by the toothbrush in my mouth.

 

Needless to say, I loved the way things were.

 

            I fixed my collar and opened the bathroom door to reveal a happy Soomin sitting on the bed, ready to go, her favorite purple knit beanie fitting snugly atop her thick flow of black hair.

            “Ready?” She asked happily, her bag in her lap. I nodded as I reached for my own blazer and bag.

            “Let’s go.” And with that we headed out the door.

 

            It was winter time in Seoul, and I guess you could say living a mile from university with no car wasn’t exactly a bonus. It did, however, come with its perks. It was on days as such that Soomin would clutch my arm and interlace her fingers with mine in order to keep warm.

            This day was no exception, and oh, how I loved it.

            I looked down at her shivering figure, amused.

            “Cold?” I asked. She scrunched up her face and nodded, pulling herself closer to me.

            “Yeah, but I’ll be fine once we get to school.”

            It was on days like this where I wish school was ten thousand miles away, and that the only way she would prevent from freezing to death would be to just hang on to me and never let go, and we would walk the whole way laughing about my Chinese accent and joke about the abnormally-dressed people we happen to pass along the streets of Seoul.

            Ah, yes, that would be paradise.

           

            Our university became in sight after our twenty minute commute, and we immediately headed to the coffee shop as we did every morning before classes started to meet up with two of our friends.

            “Tao, Lay!” I yelled from across the coffee shop. Two men, one with a head of black and one with a nice mound of brunette, caught sight of us. We both waved as they gestured us to their small booth in the back.

           

            Tao and Lay had been best friends with me since I started university—Lay actually being the one that introduced me to Soomin in the first place. I met Tao on the plane from China to South Korea, not really knowing who he was or where he was going. We made nice conversation and hit it off quite well, and it wasn’t at all awkward when we discovered we were put in the same university for study abroad. He’s a cute kid, though a bit quiet and rare to keep his hair combed through, but at least he’s smart.

           

            “You guys are a bit late,” Tao mentioned, checking his watch.

            Soomin glared at me, “Lazy- over here wouldn’t wake up.” Lay tilted his head back and laughed.

            “Sounds a lot like him.”

            “Lay!” I yelled, defenseless. “You’re supposed to be on my side, man!”

            He laughed, “Hey, just stating the facts here. We did live together, after all.”

           

            Lay and I met freshman year at a casual dorm party. It was more of a mixer, I guess—an event where students casually talk to one another simply to make friends and to get to know each other better. He randomly sat next to me, a loner like myself amongst all the people chit-chatting and drinking. I remember him uttering curses in Mandarin and pouting because he didn’t have any friends, me doing the same a few moments afterward. Like Tao, we hit it off pretty well, and were eventually assigned as roommates our sophomore year in university. It was during the time we lived together I figured out that Lay was a complete genius only a few months younger than I, capping his infinite knowledge with a thick coiffure of brunette hair. The only thing in common, we realized, was our love for music, but it was enough to tie a lasting bond between us as brothers from The Middle Kingdom.

 

            Soomin checked her watch, “Oh, my first class starts in ten.” She got up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and straightened out the wrinkles her clothes.

            “I’ll see you after my last class, okay?” With that she pecked me on the cheek and walked away with a smile and a wave.

            “Have a good class,” I said. Tao and lay waved as well.

            “Bye.”

            “See ya!”

            There was an awkward silence for a moment, and the two men sitting in front of me stared me down, smirking. I chuckled nervously.

            “What?”

            “C’mon, Kris,” Lay started, speaking Mandarin.

            “Yeah, man. You gotta do it sometime soon. It’s been, what, two years?”

            I shook my head at them, confused. “What are you guys-…” I paused, my eyes widened when I figured out what they were talking about. I softened a bit when the idea sunk in, and then, for the millionth time, pulled the legendary satin box out of my pocket, popping the lid open to reveal a white-gold band with a pear-cut diamond set in the center. I stared at the rock, biting my bottom lip with nervousness as the light from the window of the coffee shop made it shine all different colors.

            “I don’t know, you guys.”

            Lay’s eyes went wide and his eyebrows rose nearly above his forehead.

            “You’re joking, right?”

            “Seriously, man,” Tao started. “You’ve been talking about this for months. You want to, don’t you?”

            “Of course I do.” I clasped the small box in my palm, making it close with a ‘pop.’

            “You’ve only got one shot. Don’t let it pass you by.” Lay looked at me with those wise eyes of his and he seemed to stare into my soul. I had to look away to make the whole situation seem less awkward.

            After thinking it over for the billionth time, I nodded my head in determination, “Next week.”

            “See, now that’s the spirit,” Tao said with a smile as I set the ring in my jacket pocket. I smiled back at him and checked my watch.

            “I gotta head to class.” With that I grabbed my bag and started for the door. "Have a good day, guys!"

            "Alright, Gege, but if you get scared I won't hesitate to propose for you!" Tao yelled, waving goodbye. I chuckled as the glass door closed behind me.

            'Next week, almighty Duizhang...' I thought to myself. 'Pull yourself together. You've only got one shot.'