Should I tell her now or a little later? Luhan questioned himself as he played with his thumbs while sitting on the floor next to Min-Hee. 

 

"Um..." Luhan and Min-Hee started at the same time. 

 

"Oh, you go first," they said in unison. 

 

"Okay. Uh, why don't we play rock-paper-scissors to see who goes first?" Luhan suggested. 

 

"Okay," Min-Hee agreed. 

 

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!" 

 

Min-Hee used rock and Luhan used scissors. 

 

"Okay, so, um..." Min-Hee stuttered. "So what I wanted to say was... I like you..." She blushed madly, matching Luhan's red face. 

 

"Oh, I like you too," Luhan said. "That's what I actually wanted to talk to you about. So would you like to be my girlfriend?" 

 

'Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes,' Luhan repeated in his head. 

 

"Well, I like you..." 

 

"But?" 

 

"But I don't think I can be your girlfriend. I-I mean, y-you're really nice and I love talking to you, and y-you're like my first friend. But I don't think I could date you. I mean, dealing with fan girls, the media, and trying to find time in your busy schedule, according to the Internet. It's hard to even talk to you at times now, but it would be worse not talking to you if we were in a romantic relationship. I'm really sorry for rejecting you, but I don't think there's an easy way out of this." 

 

"Min-Hee, I really like you. I love you, and I can't hold my feelings back. I don't want to keep it a secret or hide my feelings from you — or anyone else for that matter. I wish we could go to a shopping mall together, or go to a coffee shop and talk, or go to a park and read books under a tree together. I want to be in public and be able to freely show the world that I'm in love like any other couple on the streets. I-I want that life with you, but like you said, it's not easy. And if there was a way I could do all that with you, I would. But if I can't, I still don't want to be away from you. I want to be able to talk with you face to face and be able to hold your hand like this. And I know that dating in secret is risky and could be a terrible idea, but can we give it a try?" 

 

Min-Hee looked into his teary eyes and she said, "No... I don't think that would work... No matter what, we would still want to have public dates and grow tired of sneaking around, according to the Internet's variety of movies about forbidden love. And if a scandal occurred, it would just ruin your music career. Your fans would be heartbroken if they found out that the chance of dating you is gone. I'm really sorry, and I know this sounds like a total cliche, probably because I watched too many of those movies. But if those movies taught me anything, it's that we shouldn't go through with this. It would just end in a tragic ending." 

 

The tears that had been welling up in Luhan's eyes fell down along his cheeks. 

 

"Then, just one minute... Can we pretend that I'm not Luhan from Exo, and we're just two people who love each other? Just one minute?" 

 

"Okay," Min-Hee said as she lifted her hand to wipe her tears away. 

 

"Wait, my girlfriend," Luhan said as he cupped her cheeks in his hands and wiped her tears away for her. 

 

Their eyes met, both wishing that the minute would last forever because all of the time in the world would still not be enough for them. Because even if  a year or a century passed, time would keep moving on like them. 

 

Luhan kissed her last tear, then her temple, then her cheek, and before he reached her lips, he stopped. He looked into her eyes for permission and as he watched her eyebrows furrow in confusion and the depth of her deep chocolate eyes fill with worry, sadness, and love. She cupped his face and brought his face closer to her. Both of their agony and desires visible in their eyes vanished as they closed their eyes for their first kiss, not knowing if or when their next will be. 

...

 

"Hey, what's wrong? Is the curry bad or something?" Jiwoo asked.

 

"Huh?" Jungkook asked. 

 

"I asked, what's wrong with you. Since you got out of the bath, you've been kind of quiet. And you keep staring at me. Do I have curry sauce on my face?" 

 

"N-no..." 

 

"Then what's wrong?" 

 

"I-It's nothing... N-nothing's wrong." 

 

"Okay, alright. If you say so, but you should eat the curry before I eat it." 

 

'Oh, man... I feel like I'm more awkward around her not because I'm in love with her; I already subconsciously knew that I had feelings for her. It's just that I'm full aware of them now, and I'm not sure what to do from this point on,' Jungkook thought. 'I mean, do I tell her? Do I ask her out? What the hell are you supposed to do after you realize you like someone anyway? Propose?'

 

The bell chime of the doorbell rang, cutting through his thoughts. 

 

"Ugh... I'll answer the door, although I don't know why anyone would be here at this hour," Jiwoo grumbled as she stood up. "Don't eat my curry while I'm gone." 

 

Jiwoo walked over to the door and asked, "Who's there? I'm armed with a baseball bat!" 

 

"It's me," Haru's voice called out. "Can you... Can you open the door? It's freezing out here."

 

'Huh? Haru? What the hell is he doing here?' Jiwoo thought as she slowly opened the door. 

 

"Here," Haru said as he shoved a bouquet of flowers into Jiwoo's face. 

 

"W-what's this for?" Jiwoo asked. 

 

"It's for you, so hurry up and take them," Haru said as he blushed. 

 

"Uh... Okay..." Jiwoo said with a perplexed expression. 

 

"Oh, and this. I heard you like sweets, so I bought these too," he said as he handed her a cake box. 

 

"Oh wow... Thanks!" Jiwoo said as she accepted the presents.

 

'Man, this bakery has like a 2-day waiting list. How'd he get this? Oh, right. His family's rich,' Jiwoo thought. 

 

"So... Why are you here, Haru?" Jiwoo asked. 

 

"Umm, but first, can I come in? I didn't know that it would be this cold, so I didn't bring a jacket or anything," Haru explained. 

 

"Uh... S-sure, I guess," Jiwoo said as she opened the door for him. 

 

"Thanks," Haru said as he rubbed his hands together for warmth as he took off his shoes with his feet inside. 

 

"What's taking so... long?" Jungkook stopped as soon as he saw Haru. 

 

"Oh! Well, this is Haru, one of my classmates in my Intro to Architecture class," Jiwoo introduced. "Haru, this is one of my coworkers at my part-time job." 

 

"Oh, well. Hello," Haru said as he stuck out his hand for shaking. 

 

"Hey," Jungkook said. He stared at Haru's hand and high-fived him.

 

"Okay, um, Jiwoo. Can I talk to you for a second?" Haru asked. 

 

"Okay..." Jiwoo said. "Jungkook, why don't you finish dinner without me? And when you're done, place your dish in the sink."

 

Haru pulled her over to the hallway. "So, Jiwoo. What is your coworker doing at your house at night?" 

 

"Oh, Jungkook? Well, I can't say too much about it, but his family situation isn't the best right now. When things get tough, he gets thrown out of the house, and I let him stay at my house because he's got nowhere else to go," Jiwoo explained. 

 

"I'm sorry... I didn't know that..." Haru replied. "But still, it isn't right for an unwed woman like you to be alone at night, under the same roof with a man."

 

Jiwoo raised her brow and rolled her eyes. "Look, I know that we don't know each other that well, but I thought that you'd already know that I can protect myself pretty well. I mean, I did put you in the hospital after we first met," Jiwoo said. 

 

"But what if something happens?" 

 

"Dude, Jungkook slept over plenty of times at my house, and nothing's ever happened. Besides, he's just a kid; nothing's going to happen." 

 

'Ah... So that's what she thinks... I guess I'm still a kid in her eyes,' Jungkook thought as he eavesdropped. He put his head on the table and stared blankly into the tiny window above the kitchen sink. He sighed. 'Why couldn't I have been born two years earlier? Then I would be the same age as Jiwoo Noona, and go to the same school, together. I would seem like a more suitable man for her if I was older, and she wouldn't think I'm a kid. And I wouldn't have to call her 'Noona.''

 

"But what if I stay with you? To protect you?" Haru asked. 

 

"Uh... Didn't you just say that I shouldn't be under a roof with a man? Or are you an exception because you're not actually a guy?"

 

Haru blushed. "I am a man!" Once he realized the volume of his voice, he blushed again and let out a breath. "Look, I'm just worried about you, and I want to protect you." 

 

"And you already know that I don't need your protection. If you can't even beat me, how can you protect me? Besides, I've beaten up Jungkook lots of times. Trust me, I'm fine." 

 

"But—" 

 

"Dude, just go home. Thanks for the cakes, but honestly, don't worry about me. You have no reason to worry. After all, it's not like you're my boyfriend or anything." 

 

Haru blushed once more. "Um... Well... About that..."

 

"Haru, go home. This neighborhood is not safe for you. I mean, there are a lot of people who will jump you for that watch you're wearing. If you need to call a cab, you can use my phone. It's over there," she told him before heading back to the kitchen. 

 

"Wait, Jiwoo. Aren't you curious why I was here in the first place? With the cakes and the bouquet?" 

 

"Well, I thought you were here to apologize, but I guess you decided to annoy me instead. So get out, Haru." She pointed to the door. 

 

'Argh... This isn't the way I wanted it to be like, but I guess this is my only chance,' Haru thought. 

 

"I like you! I'm sorry that I treated you horribly when we first met, for trying to dig up dirt on your past for revenge, for making you cry, and that I did so many terrible things to you before I realized that I like you. I know I haven't made a great impression on you until now, but I want to restart. I want to erase those bad memories if I could or prevent my past myself from making those mistakes, so I could show you a better side of me." 

 

'What the...?' Jungkook thought as he stood up, alarmed. He walked over to the entrance of the hallway to listen to his crush's response. 

 

Jiwoo, on the other hand, could not form any coherent thoughts. Her brain was having difficulty processing this new information. 

 

'Argh... This is so awkward. What is she thinking right now? Is she going to reject me? Ugh, of course she is. She's probably trying to find a way the best way to reject me right now,' Haru thought. 

 

"Haru..." Jiwoo started.

 

"Yes?"

 

"Are you drunk off your ? Or did you eat something weird before coming here?" 

 

"Huh?"

 

"Yeah, that's the only way to explain your strange behavior. It's late; you should go home and sleep it off. I think that's the best thing for you right now. You're clearly not yourself right now."

 

'Thank goodness. She didn't accept his confession,' Jungkook thought. 

 

"W-what? No. I'm fine and I didn't drink. I'm serious," Haru said as he stared at her. "I'm not joking about my feelings. I honestly like you."

 

"Haru, go home. It's late. When you feel sober in the morning, we can talk about this again," Jiwoo told him as she pushed him out the door. 

 

"But—" 

 

"She asked you to leave," Jungkook said as he walked into the hall. "Go."

 

Haru stared at Jiwoo one last time before he put on his shoes and walked out. As soon as the door closed, Jiwoo rushed to lock it. 

 

'I feel bad. He looked so sad before he walked out, but I can't believe him. It just doesn't make sense. Yeah, he must have smoked something weird before he came here. That's the only plausible explanation for this,' Jiwoo thought as she leaned against the door she had just locked. 

 

Outside, Haru looked at Jiwoo's apartment door, filled with despair. He sighed as he leaned his head against it. 

 

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Of course she wouldn't believe me! After all, I've only showed her my ugly side,' Haru thought as he closed his eyes. 'She even told me she hated me. Ugh... If only I didn't act like such a jerk before maybe she would consider going out with me.'

 

'Maybe if I was able to rewind time, we could have started differently. Maybe if I noticed her in my class earlier we could have just been two classmates. I would have made up a lame excuse to talk to her like, 'Hey, do you want to study together in the school café?' If she said yes, we could have gotten to know each other over coffee. Then I would ask her to a movie and dinner. We could have gone to that movie theater that has couple seating. I would hold her hand as we walked past the crowded streets on a Friday afternoon so we wouldn't lose each other. We would have dinner at a restaurant with a view of the city skyline and eat while watching the city lights around her make her shine brighter. I would take her hand and guide her to the best dessert shops in the city. At the end of the date, I would drop her off here, and kiss her goodnight before she walks into her apartment. If she had a great time, I would ask if she would like to go on a date with me again. She might say yes and just like that, we would become a couple,' Haru thought as he watched his dreams in front of him like a movie with a smile. He stood up and walked away from his door and his dream date. 

 

That night, Haru, along with Min-Hee and Luhan trapped inside the cake café, all came across the same thought at some point: 

 

'If only it was that easy.'