Sandeul just confessed to me. For real. In real life.

 

I open my mouth to respond, hoping that the right words will come out, and--

 

He holds up his hands abruptly. "Wait! Hold up! You don't have to answer me yet!"

 

I close my mouth slowly.

 

"Just think about it, okay? You can answer me whenever you feel ready." He gives me a shy smile, still blushing. "I can wait. Just let me know when you have your answer."

 

I nod numbly. He smiles and waves before strolling back over to his friends, who all look curious.

 

I make my way back to Chunji, who is still surrounded by girls. I push my way through the group and grab his sleeve. "Come on, we're going," I tell him, tugging him along.

 

"Oh, okay. See you all later!" He waves and gives them a sparkling smile.

 

"See you later, Chunji-oppaaa~~~!" they sing back to him.

 

I don't care, though. My mind is elsewhere at the moment.

 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Chunji pokes my cheek as we walk side by side.

 

"Nothing." It's none of his business, anyway.

 

This is the first time I've ever been confessed to. My mind is spinning. Sandeul oppa? Cute, smiley Sandeul? Who blushes easily and is better at cooking than me? My best friend?

 

Well, technically, he's already made his feelings clear once before. Last night, when he met Chunji. But back then, it was easier to brush aside and ignore. Now it's staring me right in the face.

 

I see his blushing face, smiling shyly. Just let me know when you have your answer.

 

Answer. I have to answer him. What should I say? How do I feel?

 

"Hey." Chunji pokes my cheek again. "What are you thinking about so hard?"

 

"It's nothing. Okay, we need bread, eggs..." I change the subject, reading off the shopping list.

 

The rest of the day passes rather uneventfully. My mind is preoccupied with how I should respond to Sandeul, and Chunji simply trails after, every once in a while getting distracted by something random.

 

Finally, it's dinnertime. "Chunji, all I've had today is the little snack I packed, and you didn't even eat anything. Aren't you hungry?"

 

"Stars don't need to eat," he says matter-of-factly.

 

"Ooookay. Well, humans do, so I'm going to go home and eat dinner and go to bed. Don't you think you can, like, live outside?"

 

"What, like a doggie?" He pouts. "I wanna go with you!" He grabs my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine.

 

My heart beats harder. I try to tell myself to calm down. "Fine, whatever. You can eat dinner with us."

 

"Yayy!" he cheers like a five-year-old.

 

I sigh and lead him home.

 

 

 

 

"Appa, umma, I'm home!" I call, taking off my shoes and gesturing for Chunji to do the same.

 

"Oh, dinner's just about ready, so come and sit d--" My mother freezes when she sees Chunji. Slowly, she smiles. "Oh, and who is this?"

 

"Chunji. I'm a fallen star who's in love with your daughter. Nice to meet you!" He smiles brightly.

 

"You're a...?" She raises her eyebrows and looks at me.

 

"A joke, umma, a joke," I try to laugh, punching Chunji 'jokingly'.

 

"Ouch!"

 

"What's your last name?" my mother asks him.

 

"I don't have one--" 

 

I punch him again.

 

"Erm, Lee. Lee Chunji. Nice to meet you."

 

Somehow, we make it to the table without anyone being seriously injured.

 

Appa's already sitting down. I brace myself for awkwardness.

 

As we begin eating, my mother says, "So, where are you from?"

 

"The sk--"

 

I kick him under the table.

 

"Uh, the city."

 

"Why did you come out here?" My father asks with a note of suspicion. There's not much to see in our little town.

 

"I'm in love with your daughter," Chunji says matter-of-factly, continuing to sip his tea.

 

"Oh my," my mother says. My father drops his chopsticks.

 

"Um, I met Chunji at that astronomy camp I went to last summer," I lie. "He just wanted to see me again."

 

"Are you two dating?" my mother asks. My father chokes on his food.

 

"Yes," Chunji says at the same time I say, "No."

 

"Um, we have a complicated relationship. Well, thanks for the food, see you later!" I grab Chunji's ear and drag him away from the table.

 

 

 

 

"Well, that was a disaster." I flop onto my bed, ignoring the fact that I’m still hungry. "I'm taking a nap. Don't cuddle with me, or I will lock you in the bathroom. Again."

 

"You're not cute at all," Chunji mutters with a pout. He grabs a random book from my shelf and plops down at the foot of my bed.

 

 

 

I wake an hour later. Chunji is nowhere to be found. Oh, well. One less thing to worry about. 

 

I grab my telescope case, then place the paper star in my jacket pocket, as always. I make my way to the hill.

 

Chunji's already there.

 

He's staring up at the sky. Just staring. Thinking. Quiet.

 

He's actually really attractive when he's not being absolutely ridiculous.

 

"How long are you going to bask in my beauty?" he asks suddenly, not even looking at me.

 

"Yeah, right. I was just thinking about how ridiculous you look, literally staring off into space like that." I take my telescope out of the case and begin setting up.

 

"You should work on being a little more honest." He smiles at me, then stands and stretches.

 

The smile caught me off guard. I try to focus on my telescope.

 

He comes up to sit next to me. "Let's not use the telescope today."

 

I blink. "Huh? Why?"

 

He smiles gently. "Don't you want to just take a step back and admire all the stars together? You know, look at the big picture." He motions for me to sit down next to him. I reluctantly oblige.

 

"I don't see what--" I begin to protest. He holds a finger over his lips, still smiling, and points to the sky.

 

The stars are dancing. Bright against the velvet background, they glow with an almost supernatural light. There is a gentle breeze that's ruffling my hair. The night air has an almost sweet scent.

 

"Hey," I begin, then clear my throat. "Assuming that you really were a star, which I'm still not sure I believe, but assuming you were telling the truth, then why..." I swallow. "Why would you come to earth? Why would you sacrifice yourself like that?"

 

He gives me a strange look for a second, but it quickly changes into a grin. "Because I love you, of course!"

 

I swallow again. "And… assuming you were telling the truth about that, then, well… why?"

 

He places his hand over mine. It's surprisingly large. Soft but firm. So this is what a guy's hand feels like.

 

"I used to just be curious about you. I was content to watch you. Your brother and you were always out here watching the night sky. And when you smiled or laughed or even just watched the sky, you lit up. You shined brighter than any of the stars." He gives my hand a squeeze. "And then, three years ago, your brother died. I... saw him die. And I saw you. Crying. And, still, you pressed on. You still loved the night sky, despite the fact that your brother died under it. And then I just kind of... wanted you to love me, too. Like you love your brother, or the sky. But... more." He clutches my hand tighter. "It's selfish, but... I love you."

 

His face is inches from mine. I'm staring into his eyes and he's staring back into mine.

 

"Am I allowed to love you?" he asked quietly.

 

I watch his dark eyes, breathe in his night air scent.

 

And then I whisper, "Yes."

 

He leans forward. Our faces are an inch apart.

 

Oh my gosh. He's going to kiss me.

 

And then, instead of pushing him away, instead of scooting aside, I close my eyes.

 

Nothing.

 

I open my eyes again. His are widened as if shocked, fixed on mine. He pulls away quickly. "Um, I'm going to take a walk. I'll see you later, okay?" He strolls calmly off as if nothing had happened.

 

What?

 

I stare after him blankly.

 

What just happened?

 

He was about to kiss me, right?

 

So... Why did he pull back?