The guys made a big dent in our cookie collection that afternoon. Afterward Chaerin headed off with Hyun Joong to do some Christmas shopping, and Jae and Min left to buy their own Christmas tree.  Bom borrowed my car so she could meet some friends at the mall. With my father working late and my mother keeping a hair appointment, I had the house to myself for a few hours.

I took possibly the longest shower in history enjoying every minute of it. Then I spread my Christmas gifts out on the floor of my room and began to wrap them. I was fussing with one for my mother, struggling with an overly ambitious bow, when the phone rang. I grabbed the receiver with one hand, the fingers of my other hand having somehow become part of the ribbon I was trying to loop and knot. “Hello?”

There was silence at the other end.

“If this is an obscene call, you’re going to have to breathe louder than that,” I said.

“Chaerin?” a voice asked.

“No.”

But before I could identify myself, the guy rushed on. “This is Junsu. Xiah Junsu. I think you know me, but I’m not sure. I’m in your Math class. Uhh…What am I saying? I mean History. Third row. But I still take Math after you. We pass each other at the door. When I get out of English class in time, that is. Well, anyway, I’ve got dark hair. Does that help?”

“Help what?” I asked.

“Uhh…I take pictures for the university paper. I took a lot of you in the fall production.”

“Okay…I think you’ve got…”

“Which, maybe, you’d like to see some other time,” he hurriedly on. He sounded nervous. “I mean, I’m sure you already saw the ones printed in the paper. I have a feeling I’m not making too much sense.”

You’re right about that, I thought.

“Anyway, I was wondering if you’d like to see a movie, maybe after Christmas? Or before? Whenever.”

“Listen,” I said, “I have to put down the phone for a second. I need to cut the ribbon off this present I’m trying to wrap or else cut off my hand and let it stay as part of the decoration. But don’t hang up, I’ll be back in a moment.”

I laid down the receiver, then extricated my hand from the ribbon and snipped the package from its tangled-up mess, thinking as I did – Poor guy, he hasn’t got a chance.

“Hi, I’m back.”

“Hi,” he said shyly.

“I’m not Bom. I’m her sister Dara.”

“Dara? I didn’t know Bom had another sister. I’m so sorry. You must think I’m crazy.”

Yeah – crazy in love. “Not really,” I told him, and measured out some new ribbon. “I’ve answered the phone for my sisters before.”

“Maybe I lucked out getting you,” he said. “I wasn’t making any sense, was I?”

“Well, if I were the president, I wouldn’t hire you as my spokesperson.” I gathered up loops of the bright red ribbon. “But I have trouble saying things right when something matters a lot to me. Everybody does.” I almost had the ribbon under control and was ready to wrap the metal twist around the perfect bow.

“Thanks for saying that,” Junsu replied. His voice was lower and much mellower now that he was relaxed.

“Well, it’s true,” I told him “Darn this ribbon!” I exclaimed as the loops sprang out of my hand. “It looks perfectly tame on its roll, then fights me like a cobra when I try to make a bow.

Junsu laughed. It was a warm and friendly laugh. He sounded nice, but I knew he’d have to be cooler – much cooler – for Bom to give him a chance.

“I just buy the ready-mades and stick them on a package,” he told me.

“That’s because youre mother’s not Martha Stewart,” I replied.

“Your mother’s Martha Stewart?”

“No, no, I was just…”

He laughed. “It was a joke. I’m only slow and confused when I try to talk to Bom. I wish I could just e-mail her.”

“That doesn’t work,” I advised him. “Not with Bom, at least. But I’ll tell her you called,” I added, “and you should