The sound of the clock ticking seemed loud as they stared at one another in silence, and Jaekyung's face turned a little glum by each second. "For something that you could only dare to dream about, it is quite small, don't you think?"

"It's big enough for me." He said.

She was silent for a moment. "Then will you dream about it forever?"

"You would always have to wake up from a dream, sooner or later."

"You make the world sounds like a lonely place."

"You will die alone anyway."

"That is true, of course. But, when you have the chance to live, why should you spend it alone? I mean, you're doing it as well, aren't you? If you think that everyone should just live on one's own, then why are you talking to me?"

"Should I stop talking to you then?"

She pouted. "But you still owe me an ice cream."

"I can just go to the convenience store and get you one right now."

"I didn't say I want that kind of ice cream!"

"Then what kind of ice cream are you talking about?"

"I won't tell you until that very day." She said, smirking. "You're so strange."

"How so?"

"I don't know. In the beginning you were always telling me off, and not to get all friendly with you and everything but now you're buying me ice cream and it's funny that I don't even know your real name but we're going out together."

"Are we going out together?" He asked, bluntly.

"Of course we are! You've promised me!"

"I know, I know." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Is this counted as a date, I wonder?" She said, putting a finger on her lips, narrowing her eyes.

"A date?" Hoya choked, and gulped down his saliva.

"Wouldn't it be? A date with my flower neighbour." She laughed.

"Wouldn't it be dangerous? I might not be a good person after all."

She scoffed. "If you hold any bad intention towards me, wouldn't you be jumping over the wall and doing bad things to me as we are speaking? Aish." Hoya said nothing but he went on looking at her, with his straight face and she felt nothing at first, but slowly, she felt some nerves in her reacting. "Yah!"

"What?"

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Like that like what?"

"Like this." She said, and pulled the end of her eyes and put up straight face. Hoya's eyes widened and he cleared his throat. She stopped pulling her eyes and shrugged. "I can't really explain it, but I don't think you're a bad person at all. You might look a bit... rough, for the name Hoya but I don't know... I can feel that you're a good person."

"Feelings can turn out to be wrong."

"You never seem to be out of things to say, huh?" She asked, and smiled flatly. "Ah well, I might be wrong and I might be right. It's the same as having a dream; I might achieve it or I might fail. It's one thing or another."

"Aren't you afraid that you will get hurt because of the truth?"

She smiled, more to herself. "If you are afraid of getting hurt, then you won't grow up." Hoya said nothing else, and so she spoke again. "Why? Are you afraid of getting hurt, Hoya-sshi?" She asked, a bit teasingly.

"No." He replied and smiled faintly. "I'm the one who do the hurting." Jaekyung stared at him, not really understanding what he meant by that, but she didn't get a chance to say anything when he turned sideways and opened his mouth to speak again. "It's getting colder. You should go in."

"Oh..." She smiled flatly and walked towards the balcony, slowly closing it and pulled the curtain along. Once the balcony was covered, she was just standing there, wondering what he meant by his words, unaware that he was still out there, watching her silhouette, in silence.

"Park-ssam, are you perhaps seeing someone?"

"Eh?" Jaekyung lifted up her head abruptly. She was explaining about adverbials of time to Hwayoung who was then smiling while biting her bottom lip and looking at her interestedly and it made her a little uncomfortable. "What are you asking?"

"Because I want to know!" She said, and sat up straight for three seconds before leaning forward again. "I wonder how it is like, falling in love? Especially love at first sight?"

"Love at first sight?"

"Yes! Do you believe in those?"

"I'm not sure." She said, and made an awkward smile.

"What about Oppa?"

She gulped and looked elsewhere. "What about him?"

"Although you might refuse to admit it, I know why Park-ssam agreed to tutor me. It's because of Woohyun oppa, isn't it?" She asked, and looked at her wide eyes. "Because you do not know how to refuse him."

"Yah!" Jaekyung shouted and blinked rapidly, "What do you think you're doing! Talking about all these things with me... I didn't accept the job because of him. I need money, okay? Aish."

Hwayoung stuck out a tongue. "I'm sorry. But Park-ssam, I think you look great with my brother."

"Nam Hwayoung!"

"Okay, okay." She pouted and Jaekyung started to explain about what they were revising on, and Hwayoung managed to concentrate for 5 minutes before she began again.

"Park-ssam, I think I like someone."

"Nam Hwayoung..." Jaekyung sighed.

"Because I can't stop thinking about him!" She said, excitedly. "Funny thing is, I've just seen him once and I don't even know his name or how his voice is like but I feel like I want to meet him again and only thinking about it makes me happy! Is that possible, Park-ssam? To be happy thinking about someone who you barely know?"

Jaekyung was quiet as she stared at Hwayoung, whose cheeks were a bit rosy and her eyes were a little sparkling and her mind was drifting off to Hoya who was a stranger to her but the one she kept on thinking about lately, but she was pretty sure it was because she was curious, and not because she was having a crush on him. She thought that she was old enough not to have a crush on someone.

"That's probably a crush."

"Well, a crush can be developed into love, right?"

"I guess."

"Park-ssam! You're not taking me seriously."

"Nam Hwayoung-sshi, I'm here to tutor you on English, not on boys." She said, with her voice a little hard. Hwayoung pouted and dropped her face, muttering things under her breath and made Jaekyung sighed. "You will have all the time to think about boys after your entrance examination. For the time being, I guess you would be dating my manual."

Hwayoung laughed a little and bit her tongue. After a few more explanation, she began working on the exercises and Jaekyung watched keenly before she felt like there was a pair of eyes watching them. She looked up and turned to her left, scanning people in the cafe, and most of them were having their eyes fixed on their books, with their pens scribbling away but one boy was looking at them, and even when Jaekyung was staring at him, he didn't look away. "I'm not sure if I'm right but I think that boy over there has been watching us for a long time."

"Who?" Hwayoung raised her head and looked towards the direction Jaekyung was looking. Then, she made a face and went on doing her work. "Don't mind him."

"Someone you know?"

"One of my classmates."

"It seems like he's watching you. Is he perhaps the person that you are having a crush on?" Jaekyung asked, bluntly.

"Give me a break! Me, having a crush on that kid?" She laughed, and looked at the boy again, rolling her eyes. "He's the one having a crush on me. He's always following me everywhere like an insect. I told him off many, many time but he's really stubborn."

"He's just sitting there and watching you... I think he's wasting his time as a student. He should be studying." Jaekyung said, to herself.

"Just ignore him." Hwayoung said, and her face looked a little distraught but she didn't expect Jaekyung to stand up and walk over to the boy. She stood up as well, and watched miserably as Jaekyung greeted him.

"Are you a friend of Hwayoung?" She asked, and she couldn't help but to admire his features, which were almost feminine but at the same time, he emitted an aura of manliness which was subtle but was clearly there.

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Lee Sungjong."

"Well, student Lee Sungjong. I'm Hwayoung's tutor, Park Jaekyung. I see that you're sitting here doing nothing much and I bet your parents would be worried if they know about it."

"Oh? Oh..."

"So, why not you join Hwayoung for tutoring today?"

"Eh?" Sungjong looked up to the older woman, and then at Hwayoung who was watching him as if she wanted to eat him, and then he looked at Jaekyung again. "That'd be great!" Then, he was following her to the table Hwayoung was sitting at, and sat down with smug when Hwayoung glared at him.

"What is this, Park-ssam? My brother specifically requested you to give me private tutoring! This is breaching the contract!" She cried, furrowing hard.

"I promise I won't be a fuss." Sungjong said, not looking at Hwayoung.

"Shut up Lee Sungjong! You should go home! Go!"

"Park-seon-saeng-nim said I could join you. So I'm joining you."

"This crazy ." Hwayoung muttered and looked at him in disbelieved. "If you're not leaving, then, I'm leaving!" She stood up but Sungjong pulled her hand down and shot her a glare.

"You don't have to be rude in front of Park-seon-saeng-nim." He said, with a hardened voice and Hwayoung flinched a little. He let her hand go slowly and looked at Jaekyung before bowing. "I shouldn't be disturbing Hwayoung and you, so I will take my leave now." He stood up and bowed again, and after shooting Hwayoung another angry look, he went away. Hwayoung was pouting to herself, looking glum.

"You two seem close."

"Not really." She said, indifferently. Jaekyung said nothing much but she smiled to herself and continued to watch her completing her work. Once she was done with it, she sat up straight, and drank up her juice. "I'll be going now. Thanks for today."

"You're welcome. Be careful on your way home."

"Yes, Park-ssam too," She said without much enthusiasm, and left the table, walking straight to the entrance and just as she was suspecting, Sungjong was there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. She scowled but she said nothing and went on walking away.

"Nam Hwayoung."

"Get a life, Lee S