I was surprised to see how much Jongin dressed up when first caught sight of him. He was clad in simple colours, but the little accessories added a unique touch to his style. He looked good in that grey shirt and black knit sweater, and the black jeans he wore complimented his tall physique. His sneakers were new, and dangling from his neck was a simple silver necklace with two letters that spelt out his initials.

At first, I didn’t see him, too distracted by the traffic flow around me to spot him amidst the busy crowd. It was only when I heard light footsteps approaching me, followed the feel of two hands gently clapping themselves over my shoulder, did I jump and whirl around. He flashed me one of his lopsided smirks that I was beginning to slowly get accustomed to.

“You look lost. Need any help?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. “That line is so last century.”

“Can’t hurt to try, eh Princess?” he said jokingly, offering me a playful wink.

I shuddered. “Don’t even get me started on how wrong that one sounds.”

Jongin threw back his head and laughed, ignoring the stares he was getting from the passers-by. “Hyung was definitely wrong. You’re definitely not the shy one,” he said, a smile tugging the corner of his lips.

“Do you expect me to be?” I asked with a raise of my brows.

“Oh, no. Definitely not. You wouldn’t be half as interesting if you were.” He winked at me and grabbed my hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around mine. “Now, on with the date!”

---

 

Even though I was somewhat reluctant to admit it, Jongin did make an interesting company. He was fun and spontaneous; I knew from the way he dragged me from one place to another that he hadn’t planned anything for this date. I noticed that he had a for small, pink accessories, for he kept pushing me to try on barrettes, hair bands, necklaces and bracelets of the said colour. He was also very sneaky with his phone, taking multiple pictures of me when I wasn’t looking, not to mention roping me into taking several selcas as ‘tokens of remembrances’. I knew he had stolen my phone at some point, because further perusal of my address book a few minutes later yielded a new picture that I didn’t remember putting next to his number.

At first, I was hesitant to amuse Jongin by going on this date, but then, I had to admit that I had fun. I realised that my friendship with Jongin had advanced much faster compared to my slow and tenacious approach with Joonmyun. Joonmyun was quick to open up to me, but I had been too scared to approach him. Something about him sent butterflies in my stomach, limiting my mental capacity and disabling my ability at forming quick quips. Jongin was more of a give-and-take partner. I was quick to recognise the flirty nature of his words but they left me feeling more challenged than bashful. I felt a strong need to throw something back at him, and it is without shame when I admit that I revelled in making him accept defeat.

“Come on now,” Jongin said in slight disbelief as he watched me navigate the stylus across the screen. “You’re not honestly going to give me cat whiskers, are you?”

“No worries,” I said with a grin as I angled the whiskers so that they sat at two perfect spots on his cheeks. “You’re getting ears to.”

“This is messing up my reputation,” Jongin grumbled, manoeuvring two small red dots on my cheeks and several hearts around me.

“You should have known better than to suggest it in the first place,” I snorted, selecting a pair of perfect cat ears that would complement the whiskers. “And besides, it’s not like you’re not doing the same to my picture anyway.”

 Jongin chuckled. We surveyed our handiwork before we printed out two copies of the picture. I tucked it into my purse, wondering if I actually had the gall to display in my room while Jongin flipped his wallet open and slipped it into the small plastic window.

“Oh, no,” I said as I eyed him. “You’re not putting that there.”

“Why not?” Jongin asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Because my reputation is at stake and I certainly don’t want anyone to see that.” I don’t want Joonmyun to see it.

“I think you look cute,” he said, a little too innocently in my opinion.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to budge, I decided to try another tactic. My eyes twinkled as I thought of a smart plan. “You do too. Especially with those cat ears. I’m sure everybody would love to see that every time you open your wallet.”

Jongin stiffened, silent for a moment as he considered the consequences and the damage the picture would wreck to his reputation. Finally he sighed and slipped the picture into a different (covered) compartment.

“Alright. Fine,” he grumbled. “You win.”

I smirked triumphantly at him before I scanned the shopping mall. The photobooth we stopped at was but one of the many entertainment facilities that this large establishment had to offer. So far, Jongin and I had only been here for half an hour, and a great portion of that time was spent at the said photobooth.

“So, where do you want to go next?” Jongin asked as he slipped the wallet into his pocket.

I raised my brow at him. “You tell me. You’re the one who asked me out in the first place.”

“But I just got here. My exposure to Seoul has so far been greatly limited.”

I raised my brow at him. “Judging from what I can see, your knowledge on the city is perfectly fine. I can tell that you’ve been here more than once.”

Jongin chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, his lips stretching into a sheepish grin. “Guilty as charged. I stayed with Hyung a lot of times when we were children, and we always got into some kind of crazy adventure. To admit the truth, that was just a little test.”

“Test for what?” I asked suspiciously.

“On what type of girl you are. I was wondering if you are the type to lead or be lead.”

“Oh? And what’s your assessment, o wise doctor?” I said with a tinge of playful sarcasm.

“You let me lead,” he replied, his eyes twinkling as he took my hand, “but only to a point. Am I right?”

 “Right you are. So if you’re planning on doing some crazy stuff like bungee jumping from a cliff or go street racing in the middle of the night, you can forget about it.”

“I’ve tried the bungee jumping,” Jongin said nonchalantly, “it wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. Street racing, well, I’d love to try but then, I don’t have a licence.”

I laughed as he pretended to sigh dramatically. “So, no hardcore crazy stuff?” Jongin questioned with a raised brow.

“Yup. That’s about it.”

Jongin grinned as he pulled me forward. “Rollerblading it is!”

---

 

The rollerblading rink was situated a few blocks away from the mall, across from several high rise office buildings that rose to puncture the bright blue of the sky with glass and concrete. As Jongin towed me towards the long line snaking out from the entrance, I took a few moments to study my surroundings. Once a decrepit building almost falling from a state of disrepair, it now rose high and stood proud as one of the city’s most famous entertainment facilities. The new owners had renovated what was left and had transformed the interior into a circular rink not unlike a skating rink. The building itself had been repainted from monochrome white to sunny yellow, and a bright neon sign flashed on its apex like a beacon at sea.

We managed to get our skates soon enough and strapped them to our feet. Jongin had insisted he paid for mine, citing the obligatory need he felt to provide for me since it had been him who suggested that we go here in the first place. I didn’t argue much with him, deciding that my paying for our snacks would compensate for his generosity. We stepped into the rink and soon fell into an easy pattern along with the rest of the skaters, circling the rink in one never-ending flow.

“You know, I’m a little bit disappointed,” Jongin said as we skated side by side, my feet matching his in rhythm.

“And why is that?” I asked as I casted a quick glance at him.

“You’re already too good at this. I was hoping that you’d lack the ability to keep your balance so that I could play knight for once and teach you.” He pouted playfully.

I scoffed. “Dream on. I’ve been skating since I was a kid. And FYI, I know how to do it on ice too.”

 “I can tell,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back as we began to skate faster. “So tell me a few things about you. I’ll be honest and say that the objective of this date is for me to try and get to know you better, and so far, I haven’t gotten very much yet.”

“There’s nothing about me that’s interesting to know about.”

“Nah, I doubt that,” Jongin said with a shake of his head. “Everybody has their charms, and I’m sure I’ve only seen a fraction of yours.”

I chuckled slightly. Jongin’s casualness at throwing compliments right when you least expect it was somewhat refreshing, making me feel, in a way, euphoric. “How about we trade? I’ll tell you about myself if you’ll tell me about you and your family.”

“Deal. You go first. Now shoot.”

“I have a cat called Mimi. Sometimes, when I’m bored, I’d dye her tail with the same colour as my hair.”

Jongin laughed. “I’m sure that’s fashion terrorism. It won’t match the rest of her fur. Her feline friends would be scandalised.”

I cracked a smile. “Hey, at least we match. Now your turn. How long have you played the piano?”

“Long, but time doesn’t ensure quality.” Jongin shrugged. “I’m the type of guy who prefers sports compared to something indoors, or rather, as my mother put it, ‘culturally refined’. I’m everything that Joonmyun-hyung isn’t.”

“What can you do?” I asked curiously.

Jongin wagged a finger at me. “We trade one question each. What’s your favourite colour?”

 “White. Pure white –like the clouds.”

“The same as Joonmyun-hyung,” Jongin said with a small smile. My heart skipped a beat. At least that was one thing Joonmyun and I had in common. Even though it was small and insignificant, I felt like it bridged the gap between us.

“Where do you live, actually?”

“Lived,” Jongin corrected me. The swish of a hundred wheels against the smooth floor had blended into an unrelenting rhythm. For the fourth time, we passed the corner where we first started. “I was from Jeju Island before I got sent here. My turn: have you ever liked someone before?”

I was taken aback slightly. Nervous, I discreetly wiped my palms onto my jeans before attempting a nonchalant shrug that –I hoped –conveyed the implication that I didn’t care. “Of course I did. I’m eighteen. I’ve had plenty of crushes.” But none as strong as my feelings for Joonmyun. “Why did you move here?”

Jongin hesitated, but answered me regardless. “I got into trouble at school. I played a prank on one of my friends and it got out of hand. Long story short, the entire length of the main hallway needed to be repainted. My record hasn’t been very good. My mom sent me here in hopes that I can ‘take a leaf out of Hyung’s book’. She didn’t know that he was the one who destroyed her favourite vase when we were kids and I helped him bury it.” Jongin chuckled at the memory, his eyes glistening as he remembered the nostalgic tale of his childhood. He turned to me. “Who were they?”

I shrugged, keeping my face impassive. “There was once a guy in elementary school, two in middle school. Not many in high school.”

Jongin reached out and grabbed my hand. “Hey now, slow down will you? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re running away from me,” he said jokingly.

I didn’t realise that I had been going faster and faster as I talked. I supposed the need to escape this topic before it got too out of hand was so great that it resulted to my subconscious instructing my feet to do just that.

I smiled thinly at him. “Sorry. Force of habit I guess. I usually go faster.”

Jongin cocked his head at me, his lips curling into a smirk. “How about we race? The person who finishes the round last will have to pay for dinner.”

I let a small smile grace my lips at the challenge. “Deal.”

Just as we were about to start though, the intercom –situated in the regions unknown –cackled into life.

“Attention fellow skaters, we have an announcement. Would Mr Kim Jongin please step forward to the information counter? We would kindly like to inform you that a customer has turned in your missing wallet.”

Jongin’s brows furrowed as he started searching his pockets, slowing his pace before edging towards the sidelines so he could do a more thorough search. “I lost it,” he said, blinking at me in surprise.

“Obviously,” I said incredulously. “How can you not notice?”

“I don’t know, I thought I had it with me.” He began to slowly skate towards the entrance, running his long, thin fingers through his hair as if he was still trying to process the information. “I could have sworn I had it with me.”

“You must have dropped it while we we’re strapping on the skates,” I told him, pressing my fingers through the glass as I watched him.

“I’ll be back,” he said, quickly unlacing his skates and slipping on his shoes. “We’re still on for that race, aren’t we?” he asked, giving me a quick smile.

“Yes, now go!” I urged him. “Before someone else decides to present himself as Kim Jongin.”

Jongin chuckled, saluted me and left.

I decided to take my time in his absence to practice and recollect my thoughts. I started to slowly skate around the ring, questions swirling around in my head. I had a feeling that Jongin was going to ask for the names of my crushes, and I wondered how I was going to sidle myself out of that. I didn’t mind revealing the first few names that made up the list; it was only the most recent addition, the one who made my heart jump at even the slightest mention of his name, that I was reluctant to tell him about.

The situation was already messed up as it was. Jongin was his cousin and they were as close as brothers; even though it might be unintended, Jongin could easily reveal what I had said to Joonmyun, and what would he think of me? Would he reciprocate my feelings, or would he slowly distance himself from me? What would he say about the date I agreed to go to with Jongin, when it was he that I claimed to like?

“You have quite a lot of explaining to do.”

I jumped at the sound of the voice, wobbling on my skates as I instinctively spread my arms out to gain my balance. He caught my arm easily, steadying me as he guided me forward.

“What the –Zhang Yixing, what are doing here?” I hissed at him, glaring at him as I tugged my arm out of his hold.

“Watching you guys,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.

“How long have you been here?!” I demanded.

“Long enough to watch him pull several moves on you, a lot of which that you’re still oblivious to.” Yixing gave me a pointed look. “I thought you said you liked Joonmyun.”

I said nothing and looked away, crossing my arms across my chest. “You better go before he gets back.”

Yixing waved his hand dismissively. “We have plenty of time. They’re gonna ask him questions and tell him to sign his name and what not. Believe me, I asked when I turned in the wallet.”

I stared at him incredulously. “You stole his wallet?!”

“I didn’t steal it. I merely borrowed it so that I would have something to occupy him with for a few minutes while I talk to you.”

“You could have texted me and I would have found an excuse to find a quiet place to call you back!”

“I know you and I believe that the only way I’ll get straight answers from you is if I talk to you face to face.” He gave me a stern look. “Now really, Go Aeri. What are you doing?”

“Look, Jongin asked and I didn’t have the heart to say no,” I said, not looking at him in the eyes.

“I know that’s not everything,” Yixing stated flatly.

“Alright, alright. I admit: I was stuck. He’s Joonmyun’s cousin, and Joonmyun, he... he looked like he really wanted me to go on this date –with his cousin.”

Yixing was silent for a while. “Are you upset?”

I laughed mirthlessly. “Upset? I don’t know. Empty is more like it. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jongin. He’s smooth and he’s easy to talk to, but he’s just not –”

“–Joonmyun,” Yixing finished for me. “You know, it’s not a good idea to lead a guy on if you don’t like him.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Lead him on? I don’t think so. I get a feeling that Jongin only considers me as a passing interest. He’ll forget about me and move on easily enough.”

“I advise you not to hold to that impression,” Yixing said wisely.

“Anyway, didn’t Hyunji tell you all this?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“She tried, but she only got as far as Jongin being Joonmyun’s cousin before that –he –dragged her away,” Yixing said with a scowl.

“You really hate him, don’t you?” I said with a raise of my brows.

“To the moon and sea and back,” Yixing stated coolly.

I cracked a smile. I supposed that it would be the perfect time for me to lecture him into confessing again, but I decided against it, since there something else that I needed an immediate answer for.

“How did you know I was here, anyway?” I asked him curiously.

“Oh? I saw you at the mall. Been following you ever since. You know, he really does try to put his arm around you a lot.”

I gave him a look. “Stalker.”

Yixing shrugged. “I was worried for you. Although there are times when you drive me up the wall, I still care about you.”

“Ahem.”

I whipped my head to the right, surprised that I hadn’t noticed Jongin’s quiet return to my side. He accelerated to keep up with us, the wheels of his rollerblades whooshing on the floor in quick, easy slides. I noticed that his shoes had been done up in a haste; there was a stray shoe lace that kept dropping onto the floor as he skated.

“I’m sorry to be rude and all, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop flirting with my date,” he said, eyeing Yixing with narrowed eyes.

Yixing cracked a smile before he let a chuckle escape his lips. With one of his hands in his pockets, he cocked his head at Jongin and smirked. “We’re friends, nothing more. I’m just saying hello.” He held out his hand pleasantly. “I’m Zhang Yixing.”

Tentatively, Jongin reached out to take it. I stood in between, eyeing Yixing’s smile suspiciously. His expression suggested that he had something up his sleeve.

“Kim Jongin.”

“Nice to meet you,” Yixing replied, still smiling. “By the way, I’d be careful if I were you. Loose shoelaces are a hazard –”

At the moment, Jongin’s shoelace seemed to catch in one of the wheels of the rollerblades. Jongin stumbled before he went down, tumbling onto the hard floor and landing very painfully onto his knees. I skidded to a stop, my eyes wide.

“Your date’s not so smooth after all,” Yixing whispered to me with a chuckle, earning himself a very hard smack on the back of the head.

 

---

Okay, first of all, I am really really really really sorry for the extremely late update. I've been very busy these past few months and I can't really seem to find the time to write. Plus, I needed the time to think and actually find the direction of this story. I like to plan in advance before I write, so that I can time the transition of the scenes and slowly develop the characters and their relationships. All I can say is, I have a lot to think about, and I don't have the time to think about it. I will be updating though, just not as regularly as before because I have so much on my plate right now. I still love my readers though and I really appreaciate the comments you've written.

Till next time :)