In the end, they had lost the event and were even disqualified for not having the right number of people perform. Luckily for them, APink had won fourth place, but were rewarded with nothing but a measly ribbon. They had walked home in silence, not daring to question Jieun until they were all prepared.

A day had passed, landing themselves on Sunday. To Jieun, today was supposed to be a nice, quiet Sunday. Myungsoo was supposed to be sleeping, Yoseob should be calling her from boredom, Daehyun would be with his dad, and she would hear Baekhyun make new songs for the band.

However, her peaceful moment was disturbed when four boys managed to barge into her room. They showed no common courtesy (well, they had no manner in the first place) and surrounded Jieun until she could feel the heat growing on her cheeks.

"Now, tell us," Yoseob started with a small whisper. "When did you know Daehyun liked you?"

"And how did you know? Who told you? Did anyone of us tell you? Are you embarrassed? Am I rejected? What does this all mean?" Daehyun blurted, throwing out nerve-wrecking questions. Baekhyun pulled his collar and pushed him away from the circle. He stepped up and looked at Jieun with a deep gaze.

"Are you planning to leave us?" he asked softly.

"Of course not," Jieun replied.

"Okay, problem's solve!" Myungsoo exclaimed restlessly (it seemed as if he didn't want to be here in the first place). He dusted off his hand and gave everyone a firm smile. "Can we go now?"

"No!" Yoseob shouted. "Not until we get Jieun to tell us."

"What's the big deal about Daehyun having a crush on me? Haven't you guys have crushes, too?" Jieun asked.

The oldest bent down. "That wasn't the question, Jieun. Answer it properly!"

As the three other boys watched Yoseob and Jieun bicker, they slowly began to realize that the two had some sort of a father-daughter relationship. It was as if Jieun was the embarrassed daughter who didn't want to talk about love, and Yoseob was the father who was suspicious of "his" lovely little girl.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you!" Jieun exclaimed. She took a deep breath and sighed. "I just knew because..."

There was a pause. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Jieun to complete her sentence. Instead of speaking a word, she glanced at the clock, which counted down the seconds. One second... Two second... Three!

The door swung open, and Jieun's mother came in. She had a tray full of fruits for the boys to dig in and eat. Myungsoo hungrily stared at the small meal, while Baekhyun just stared at the different shades of nature.

"Here, here. Eat this," her mother said, grabbing out some toothpicks from her apron. She poked the sharp stick into the sliced fruits and handed them to every boy. "I saw you guys come in when I was doing the laundry, so I thought you guys wanted something to eat--"

"Mom!" Jieun exclaimed, running to her mother's side. "You know what? I totally forgot that I had a project to do. They can stay here a little longer, but after they eat, can you send them home? Thanks!"

Before anyone got to say a word, Jieun ran off. They all heard the door slam close, and silence filled the awkward atmosphere. Yoseob, who was grabbing a toothpick, snapped it into two pieces with just his fingers.

"Lee Jieun!" he shouted, holding a fist.

After an hour of running around the neighborhood, Jieun found herself in a small bookstore. The shop was brand new, as it was written in big letters on the banner above the shop's name. Jieun remembered that this store belonged to a small restaurant, but ever since the two new restaurants opened to compete with it, it had closed down.

Who sells books now? she wondered. She stepped inside the building. Behind the counter, there was an old lady who didn't bother to look up to greet her. Jieun rolled her eyes, and continued to wander into the store. Her eyes landed on a book which she had never seen before.

Then again, I don't read much, she reminded herself.

"Hey, that's a good book. I'd recommend it to you," a voice said behind her. Jieun froze at her spot and turned around, withdrawing her hand from touching the book. She blinked her eyes and saw a rather short woman wearing the same uniform as the old lady.

"O-Oh. No, I'm just browsing," Jieun stuttered.

"That's cool, too," she said.

Jieun finally frowned. "I haven't seen you around here. Are you new?"

The woman paused, then laughed. "Correct! I just came here with my mother, who divorced with my father. The name is Kim Taeyeon."

"Lee Jieun," Jieun informed her, shaking hands. "How old are you?"

"A full-grown woman!" Taeyeon exclaimed.

"A full-grown woman who can't find a job yet," her mother blurted out. Taeyeon pouted and sighed. She looked at Jieun with a tight smile.

"My mom's kind of a loud mouth sometimes. She doesn't like talking to people. She never did until she had to find a job, and when she had enough money, she decided to open a book store," Taeyeon whispered.

Jieun smiled. Although they had chatted for a few minutes, she liked Taeyeon. She was fun to be around, and she told her lots of interesting stories (from books she read). She wasn't like the previous girls Jieun met. Taeyeon was more... mature and gentle. She seemed like a precious friend who could benefit her in plenty of ways. When Jieun finally looked at the clock, her eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered. "I've been hiding for five hours!"

"Hiding? From what?" Taeyeon asked curiously, tilting her head. It was then when both girls heard the door squeak open. They heard loud footsteps, and from the hollow sound, they knew that there were more than one customer.

"Why would she hide here? It's a bookstore. She doesn't even read books."

Myungsoo.

Jieun gulped nervously and took a step back.

"This is Jieun. She hides anywhere and wherever she likes."

Yoseob.

With one swift hand, she managed to grab the book Taeyeon was suggesting earlier. She covered her pale face with the book, pretending to be busy with reading. Taeyeon tapped her bottom lip, unsure of the situation.

"Why does she do this to me? Say that she knows my feelings and leave? Does she know how guys feel?"

Daehyun.

Please don't come here, Jieun pleaded desperately. The footsteps got louder, and her heart pounded against her chest.

"Think she's over here?"

Baekhyun.

They were all here, and Jieun was going to get punished by them. She glanced over at Taeyeon, who had a confused expression on her fame. However, it wasn't the kind of confusion where Taeyeon tried to understand the situation. It was more of a look where she tried to identify the voices.

"That sounds so familiar," Taeyeon whispered. Jieun stared at her with the corner of her eyes, wondering what Taeyeon was thinking.

When the girls saw Baekhyun appear out of the corner, Taeyeon gasped.

"Is that you, Byun Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun stiffened. Hearing the voice, all the other guys ran towards Baekhyun.

"Hey, Baekhyun! Did you find Jieun?" Daehyun asked, holding his breath. He looked up at Jieun, who continued to hide her face. His cheeks suddenly burned, and she could only stare at Jieun in silence. His eyes then rolled towards the employee, who began to smile at Baekhyun.

"It really is you! I can't believe it!" Taeyeon squealed and threw her arms around Baekhyun's neck. He tripped over his own shoes, and fell on his back while Taeyeon held onto him. Jieun finally dropped the book and stared at the two. 

What in the world was going on?

"Wait!" Taeyeon looked up. "If you're here, that means..."

Her eyes landed on Myungsoo, who blinked his eyes in a clueless manner. Her cheeks reddened, and she dug her face in Baekhyun's chest, screaming loudly as if he was a pillow.

"Jieun, who is she and what's her problem?" Yoseob asked, confused.

"She's bleeding!" Baekhyun cried out, feeling something damp on his chest. "She's having another nosebleed! Get her off of me!"

When Daehyun pulled her back, he freaked out and released his grip. Taeyeon was having a nosebleed, but it wasn't the kind where it dripped a bit. The blood ran down from her nose like a river, and when Taeyeon wiped her nose with the back of her hand, blood smeared all over her lips. Seeing this, Daehyun's eyes rolled back and he collapsed in front of Jieun, who stared at Taeyeon in shock.

"A-Ah," Taeyeon stuttered, grabbing a handkerchief from her nose. "S-Sorry. I got so excited! I... I just can't believe I saw you and him! This must be fate!"

"Baekhyun, who is she and what's going on?" Yoseob repeated, helping Daehyun get up on his feet.

Without hesitated, Baekhyun pointed a finger rudely at the older lady.

"She--" Baekhyun gave her a disgusted look. "--thinks that I'm in some kind of relationship with Myungsoo!"

There was a moment of silence. Everyone gave Taeyeon an awkward look, but she looked proud and confident. Suddenly, Taeyeon began to let out a low giggle as if she was fantasizing about the boy's "relationship."

"But you guys are fated! You guys are inseparable!" Taeyeon cried out, grabbing on Baekhyun's hand. "Why don't you just confess your feelings to him?"

Myungsoo stared at Baekhyun, then bent down to a squatting position.

"So..." Myungsoo started. "...You have a crush on me?"

Baekhyn stripped off his shirt and attempted to wipe the blood on Myungsoo's face.