“So, what did you talk with Mikmun about?”

She shrugged. “She was asking about us,” she chuckled. “I told him we’re not really together. I was being stupid, sorry about that.”

“Well, we could just pretend that I’m courting you instead.”

She didn’t say anything. She had her eyes fixed up front now. I followed her gaze and saw that she was looking at Mikmun and my Vicky. “I’m going to get him back,” she whispered, more to herself.

There was something vulnerable in her face that made me look away from her. I chuckled lightly. “I can’t understand why you’re so head-over-heels in love with that guy. I mean, look at him, he looks like a. . .a bullfrog.”

“Ya!” she protested, hitting my arm.

“Girls these days don’t have a good taste anymore.”

“And why is that?” she demanded, facing me. She had her hands on her waist, looking like a reprimanding angel but I heard the silent laughter in her voice.

“Why, if only girls have high standards, I bet you my handsome face that they’d be going gaga over me instead. But then, I have high standards, too. So it’s more likely that they’ll just get rejected by me.”

She laughed. “You’re impossible!” she said. “Now I’m worried if I did the right thing in giving you a make over. You’re ego would get bigger once girls started showing their interest in you.”

“And why would they show interest in me? I look like tweety bird!”

“No, you don’t,” she contradicted. “Have you actually seen the way girls have stared at you or the way they’re staring at you right now? If looks could kill, I could have dropped to the floor already.”

Oh well,” I shrugged. “I can’t really blame them if they’re staring at you quite deadly. Why, you only had the pleasure of having the Great Kwon Jiyong as your date. Ugh, my reputation! What to do, what to do? Now they will think I have such low standards for –”

“Why you arrogant beast!” she said, hitting my arm again. But then, she was chuckling. One thing about Sandara Park that I’m starting to like is her ability to laugh at small things. The way her face looks everytime she laughs at something I’d do or say is so genuine that it makes me think how shallow she is sometimes – to think that I’m not even joking.

Eh? Did I just associate the word like with my ex-stalker Sandara Park? Kyaa! Andwae! I take it back. Sandara Park is the weirdest girl I’ve met. I mean, why would she laugh at things that aren’t even considered as funny? Sheesh, I think she’s a bit mentally challenged. Poor her. I grimaced at the thought of the words mentally challenged. Well, Sandara Park happened to inform me about how other people see me as a teeny-weeny mentally screwed. But she told me that she’ll help me in making other people see that I’m as sane as she was.

In my defense, I think people just think I’m a teeny-weeny mentally screwed because they’re jealous of me, well at least the guys are. So, they made up some story about me being like that so the girls would be turned off. Ha! Since I’m ignoring all girls who I feel and know for a fact that ehem, like me, I think their hurt ego made them believe such stories.

A round of applause brought m back to my senses. I blinked around and saw that everyone was clapping as Mikmun and Vicky started dancing in the middle of the hall. Soon after, other couples went to dance, too.

“Dance with me first,” Sandara Park turned to me. “After one song, abandon me then ask Victoria to dance, okay?”

“Abandon –?”

“Let’s go,” she cut off, pulling me by the arm. She led me to a spot near to where Victoria and Mikmum were dancing. “You do know how to dance, do you?”

“Of course!” I told her. “What do you think of me? Huh! Don’t you dare step on my feet, okay?”

“Take my waist,” she said.

“Eh?” I blankly asked. “Why should I take your waist? It cannot be removed from your body.”

She gave me a pointed look.

“Aish!” I rumbled. “That was a joke! I can’t understand you. When I’m joking, you don’t laugh but when I’m being serious, you always laugh your head off.”

“Smile,” she suddenly said. “People are staring.”

Now that she mentioned it, I finally felt the heavy stares on us. I didn’t even notice it a while ago. I need to go back to my acting mode then. I grabbed Sandara Park’s tiny waist and smiled down at her. I pulled her close to my body while my free hand went to grab her arm to rest it on my shoulder. She lifted her other arm and rested it on the other side of my shoulder as well. I leaned down on her right ear. “You’re tensed,” I whispered.

She chuckled. “I can’t help it,” she said. “I feel like I’ve just been made Public Enemy #1. You’re gaining a lot of fan girls.”

“No need to worry my little angel, I’ll protect you.”

She pulled away a little and looked up at me, a small frown on her face.

“What?” I asked.

She didn’t say anything at first. But then, she shook her head and chuckled. “Nothing,” she said. “You just sounded. . . different,” she finished and then rested her head on my chest. “Thank you.”

“What for?” I asked. “For being so handsome?”

She laughed. “You are impossibly conceited, aren’t you?”

“It’s quite tiring, actually. Being handsome and all. Everytime I wake up and look at the mirror, I would always ask, why am I so handsome? Can’t I be ordinary looking once in a while? But then, I guess that’s how life really is sometimes. You can’t get everything you want.”

“But didn’t you just say that you think your new look made you look like tweety bird?”

“Tweety bird’s cute, though.”

“The song’s over,” she suddenly said. It was not the response I’m expecting but I didn’t say anything. “Go ask Victoria to dance. Hopefully, Khunnie will ask me to dance too, seeing that I’m alone.”

I pulled away from her, then. I looked around and searched for the couple we’re trying to separate. They were still dancing. With a deep breath, I walked towards them and let my presence be known. They both looked at me with confusion. I smiled at Victoria and said, “Can I have this dance?”

Victoria glanced at the guy first, as if asking for permission. That was the only time that I glanced at him, too. He was looking at me weirdly and I can’t really tell what’s going on in his mind. Then, he looked away from me and roamed his eyes around the area. It stopped just on the spot where I know I left Dara alone. Mikmun looked back at me again, his jaw clenching. But then, he said, “By all means.”

I turned back to Victoria and smiled. She smiled back at me. I offered my hand to her and she accepted it. The guy then murmured, “Excuse me,” in a low voice. I didn’t mind him. As Victoria and I started dancing, I sneakily glanced around and saw Dara talking with the guy. I secretly smiled as I saw her blushed. You go get him, I silently thought. That girl – she is. . . she is. . . she is something. I admire her guts and determination. She must really love that bullfrog-looking guy to go far to this extent. She deserves to be happy. I must work hard too to help her get her man back. Then, I’ll have Victoria for myself too. And we would all be happy then.

“You really look beautiful tonight,” I told Victoria.

She smiled. “Thanks,” she said. “And you look dashing as well. I could just tell that every girl envies me now for having the chance to dance with you.”

I lightly laughed. It was unconscious but my mind compared the difference between Victoria and Sandara Park’s statement. Sandara Park said she felt like she’s the girls’ public enemy #1 now while Vicky thinks all girls envy her for having the chance to dance with me.

“And I could bet every man envies me for having the honor to dance with such a gorgeous lady.”

I expected her to blush but then, she didn’t. It was then that I realized that I was actually anticipating what could have been Sandara Park’s reaction. Victoria graciously smiled at me, her eyes sparkling. Victoria’s the epitome of a confident woman while Sandara Park is. . . a weird girl. I mentally laughed. If she could hear my thoughts, she’ll go berserk for sure. Maybe this was the reason as to why I’m so drawn to Victoria. She’s exactly my type.

-----

Say HELLO to them once more. . . .

cr. OhItsLai