Song of the chapter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfzVrar4xcw

HongKi's POV

I walked to the park and sat on a bench, watching the children play nearby. I saw a few of the younger mothers look over my way and whisper, before giggling and blushing. They looked me up and down, not noticing that I was staring right at them. I guess one commented on my attire, because the others just nodded in agreement.

I did my best to ignore them but it was difficult. One of them decided to stand up and approach me. Halfway between her seat and my own, she stopped. I followed her eyes to an seemingly empty spot beside me.... Seemingly. I saw MiSoo standing right next to me. She was facing me and paying no heed to the young, flirty mother. "H-hongKi-sshi, I had no idea that you came to this park also." She looked like she was afraid to talk to me, but her shy personality is what made me fall for her. I patted the empty spot on the bench beside me and she took my offer. She sat beside me or, rather, closer to the other side of the bench. I didn't want her to feel so nervous so I flashed my warmest smile and scooted closer to her. I glanced over her outfit and felt my cheeks get a bit red. I don't think that I've really taken notice to her frail figure. Last time that I saw her in casual clothes was during that date with YoSeob. I didn't pay attention to what she wore during that time, but it did catch my attention today.

In all of the time that I've taken notice to her, I don't think that I've ever seen her legs. They were incredible pale, like porcelain. They matched the rest of her, including her personality.

I looked up to meet her curious gaze. She seemed to be taking in all of my facial features and it made me feel especially self-conscious. I was surprised by my own insecurities for they have never revealed themselves before.

"...ny." I looked at her confused, tilting my head slightly. "You remind me of a little, cute bunny." She repeated, in a daze. My face turned bright red and so did hers once she realized what she said. I bit my lip and glanced over at her, inconspicuously. She stared down at her hands as they gripped the hem of her shorts. I couldn't take it anymore.

"C'mon Kitten." I said, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the park. She followed slowly, not really having a choice in the matter. I ended up almost dragging her. "H-hongKi-sshi, where are w---" I cut her off by pulling her closer and wrapping my arm around her shoulder. She looked up at me, almost terrified. I gave her a small smile and winked. "I won't hurt you again, MiSoo. So please trust me." She just nodded and my smile got bigger.

We were walking in silence for a good 20 minutes before I heard her meek voice ask me, "If you really like me, why do you flirt with other girls?" I was kind of shocked from the question, but I kept myself composed. "I'm afraid of rejection, I think. I'm afraid that you won't like me back, so I kept my feelings to myself. They are just a distraction." She just nodded and we kept walking. "How about some jigae?" She smiled brightly and nodded. We entered my favorite restaurant, where they greeted me as a close friend. "I see you brought a girl with you, that's a first!" they owner laughed and patted my back roughly. I saw her bow and smiled at her politeness. We went to a table in the corner and sat, looking at the menu. 

"Anything look good?" I glanced around my menu to see her concentrating hard on her menu. I chuckled softly at her cute face. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Soondubu Jigae." She hummed. I nodded and ordered for us. While we were waiting for our food, I decided to address something important. "MiSoo...." I started, getting her attention. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable the other day. Please don't fret over YoSeob and I. Our friendship is strong and no girl, no matter how wonderful" I paused, gracing a finger along her cheek, "Will tear us apart. We're like brothers." She slightly flinched away from my touch but I didn't mind. She thought about that answer and coaxed me with a question. "Why me?" Some how, I knew that was coming. I had been wondering that myself then I thought about her shy, scared personality and how it made me want to protect her from the monsters that hid under the bed. I just wish I knew what that monster was.

"MiSoo-sshi?" I heard a voice behind me and turned my head and saw a guy my age looking regretfully at MiSoo. I looked over at a horrified MiSoo as she gawked at the guy.

She bit her lip and looked down. "Do you know him, MiSoo?" I asked, jealousy rising, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. "My name is Jang Wooyoung." He said, bowing. "I went to school with MiSoo-sshi and.... I wanted to apologize to her about something from the past." I knew he didn't mean any harm. I knew he just wanted to apologize. But the fact that he had hurt her... The fact that he wanted to get only that close... It made my blood boil. 

"I'm her boyfriend, so you can say it around me." I glanced over at MiSoo who gave me a shocked look before returning to looking at her thin, shaky fingers. "I'd prefer it be alone, but I understand. But... Please don't take me as a bad person." He said before bending down next to MiSoo. "MiSoo-sshi... I'm really sorry about what happened back then. At first, it was just a bet, but then... I began to really like you." I was beginning to get very angry, but I gripped my hands to keep from blowing up. "I know the way that I acted was wrong and I never wanted to do such a thing to you. I know that I never formally apologized to you, but I want to now." He scooted a bit closer to her and I clenched my teeth tight. "I'm sorry for hurting you... And if I had the chance, I would try it all again and try to make you hap--" "Are. You. Done...?" He turned his lowered head towards me as I growled and shook with anger. "How dare you say such a thing in front of me..." My anger was burning, but a single gesture took out the entire flame. I glanced over at MiSoo looking at me with the most gentle, caring smile on her face. Her hand laid on top of mine and she squeezed it inside of my fist so that we could interlace fingers. My angry red face turned into an embarassed one.

"Thank you for your apology, WooYoung-sshi. But as you can see, I'm completely happy with HongKi-sshi. I hope you can make a prettier girl happy." I looked over at the boy with beaming confidence. He looked as if his heart shattered. As if he held her in his heart all of this time. "I see, well... If you ever want to talk..." He handed her a piece of paper and she nodded before sliding it into her purse. He bowed and left.

"Thank you, HongKi-sshi.." She whispered, meekly. It took a minute to realize that our hands were still tightly interlaced but my hand just tightened when she tried to pull away. "Let me just pretend for a little longer." I whispered, smiling shyly. "I like this feeling." She just nodded and we began eating our deliciously scalding meal.