I sat on one of the restaurant’s seat while Dae Hyun went to order some food for our lunch. I wiped my remaining tears and pulled out my pocket mirror. I looked horrible. My eyes were red, so was my nose. There were trails of tears on my cheeks and my hair looked like it just been hit by a hurricane. I took my wet tissue out and started wiping my face and straightened my hair.

It was really embarrassing. How could I freak out in the middle of an amusement park where there were a lot of people watching. And Dae Hyun was keep apologizing to things he shouldn’t apologize about. People must have think that he hurt me or something while he did nothing but made me happy today.

It was that damned disease. Oh, only think of that damned disease made me want to cry all over again. I held my head and laid it on the table. My head was throbbing and my eyes hurt from too much crying.

“How are you feeling?” I heard Dae Hyun’s voice asked and I lifted up my head. He went back with two burgers, a large fries, two cups of coke and a bowl of salad.

“I feel better, thanks,” I gave him a small smile.

“Good. Here,” he handed me a small icepack. “For your eyes.”

“Thank you,” I smiled sheepishly and took it. I laid my back on the seat and covered my eyes with the icepack. It felt good to my burning eyes.

“Jeong Ae-yah…,” he called out my name again.

“Hmm?” I answered with closed eyes. The icepack was still on my eyes.

“Will you tell me what happened earlier? Why were you crying?”

“No.”

He paused for a few seconds. “Okay. But if you feel like telling me, I’m here okay?” His voice turned soft.

“Okay…,” I felt his hand on mine as he held to it and squeezed reassuringly. I squeezed back but he didn’t let go. He my fingers with his thumb and it felt really good. I felt like I could rest.

I was almost dozed off when a bass voice called next to us.

“Jung Dae Hyun?”

Dae Hyun pulled out his hand from mine and I pulled the icepack from my eyes. It took time to focus on the two people who were standing next to our table, but from the silhouettes I can figure out they were males.

“Hyung!” I heard Dae Hyun’s surprise tone when he regarded the older male.

“Ah, it’s really Jung Dae Hyun. What are you doing here?” He sat next to Dae Hyun and the other person sat next to me. I automatically scooted further.

I think I have met the person who sat next to Dae Hyun before. But I couldn’t remember who. I never met the person who sat next to me before but he smile to me and I bowed a little.

“I was… uh…,” Dae Hyun scratched his head, obviously trying to find a decent answer.

The person turned his gaze from Dae Hyun to me, then back to Dae Hyun, then to me again and he chuckled. “Were you skipping school to go on a date?”

“No… no,” Me and Dae Hyun answered in unison. “It’s not a date,” I waved my hand and Dae Hyun shook his head.

The person laughed at our reaction. “Ah, youth,” he said again. He squinted his eyes as he leaned closer to me. “Hmm, I think I know your date… who… ah!” He clapped his hand. “Hey, wasn’t she the girl in front of your house? The one that you told me you l….”

“Okay! Yong Guk Hyung! Hahaha, have you had your lunch?” Dae Hyun covered the person’s mouth with his hand and laughed awkwardly.

Yong Guk? Wait I think I remember that name. Of course! He was Dae Hyun’s cousin. That’s how I know the person but couldn’t remember him.

I clapped my hand when Dae Hyun whispered something to Yong Guk Oppa and the older person just chuckled. “Bang Yong Guk Oppa! Ah, right! I remember… you used to come over a lot when we were younger. Weren’t you?”

Yong Guk Oppa smiled wider, showing his while teeth and some part of his gum. “Yes! And you are Moon Jeong Ae, right? Dae Hyun’s best friend…,” he eyed Dae Hyun and pressed a tone at the word best friend.

Dae Hyun’s face turned red and he looked away, then sipping his coke without looking at us. What’s wrong with him?

“Yes. How are you?” I gave him a wide smile. He was a nice guy this Oppa. I liked him.

“I’m good, I went to medical school in Seoul Dae and now interning in a hospital in Jamshil,” he smiled back then the person next to me started coughing. He eyed the person and a side of his mouth twitched in annoyance. “Jeong Ae, this is my friend from campus, Kim Him Chan.”

“Hello, I’m Him Chan. But as you called Yong Guk Oppa, you can also call me Him Chan Oppa,” he smiled and winked to me. He was sure a charismatic person but he just left me baffled. How could a person has an overflowing confidence on himself?

I laughed after his second wink and gave him a light bow. “Hello, I’m Moon Jeong Ae. I’m Dae Hyun’s best friend.”

“Best friend, huh?” He scooted closer then. “What a shame… for me you’re too cute to be just friend with.” I scooted back.

“Ahem!” Dae Hyun made a sound. I looked at him and he was glaring to Him Chan Oppa.

Him Chan Oppa looked at me then back to Dae Hyun and as if he understood something that Dae Hyun was saying with his eyes, he moved back and grinned to Dae Hyun while holding up his hands.

“I’m sorry. She was so cute I couldn’t help myself,” Dae Hyun stood up and made his way through Yong Guk Oppa and pulled Him Chan Oppa from my side and plopped himself next to me. He kept glaring to Him Chan Oppa like he was some kind of a jealous boyfriend. I didn’t know why, but I liked it.

I touched his arm and he relaxed a bit. “Are you okay?”

He cleared his throat while still glaring at Him Chan Oppa. He pulled a hamburger and set it in front of me. “You have to eat first, then we’ll go to the skating arena,” he opened the burger’s wrappers and hand it to me, ignoring the two men that were grinning to us.

I looked at the burger and already felt like I want to throw up. “I can’t,” I gave the burger back to him. His eye widened. I couldn’t tell him that I wouldn’t be able to digest the burger so I took the salad instead, “I’ll eat the salad,” I smiled to him. Vegetables are always the easiest to digest.

He looked relived. “Okay.”

“Are you sure you guys are best friends? I mean you guys totally looked like a couple,” Him Chan Oppa said mindlessly. Yong Guk Oppa snorted at the words and I could feel my face reddened as I bit a lettuce from my salad. Dae Hyun slurped his coke noisily.

But none of us denied it.