GaEul was still lying on her flower patterned bed, her eyes were staring at the white ceiling of her bedroom. She was wide awake but as if she was in by a magnetic force, she couldn't bring herself out of bed. Yesterday’s scene was still replaying in her head like some kind of repetitive preview of a movie. Her heart raced at the sole thought of YiJeong’s lips on her own and his delicate hand wrapping her neck.

     “Chu Ga Eul . . . That was not supposed to happen” she mumbled to herself. She was still in a state of disbelief, that she actually had let herself being consumed by YiJeong’s assertive deed especially when it was done in such public place. She was always the type of person who detested impetuous public display of affection, the one who cursed at those reckless humans who tend to ostentatiously show off their relationship to the whole world. But now that she had become one of them, she did not know whether to smile or cry at her unfathomable feelings.

      “Chu Ga Eul . . . .  You are crazy” GaEul whispered. She rolled lazily on her bed and buried her face deeply onto her pillow. She was almost wailing into the soft, feather based pillow when her phone rang on the side table.

     "Hello" she almost groaned. She didn't stay connected on the line for long because before even two seconds after the call, she shoot up from her bed, put on her jogging hoodie and ran downstairs to pull the front door open and smiled at the person standing before the metal gate.

"Kim Min Seok!"

*********

"Yo! Jeong!" WooBin loomed from behind YiJeong‘s bedroom door. "Still sleeping?" he slid the curtain open, allowing sunlight to enter the large bedroom. He then sat on YiJeong's bed. "Man. . . .  It's already past afternoon are you still going to abandon the world?” he started shaking YiJeong's body which was completely wrapped with his dark brown comforter. "Jeong" WooBin pulled his best friend's comforter down to reveal his face as he did not respond to his call.

"What. . . ." YiJeong groaned lazily as his eyes were pierced by the invading sunlight rays.

"Come on man . . . It’s a very beautiful Sunday. Let's go out and play." WooBin pulled the comforter further down in his quest to unwrap his sleepy best friend.

"Go away. I'm not in the mood" YiJeong wriggled to get himself under the thick comforter again.

WooBin's every move halted at his friend's reply. His expression showed an obvious feeling of hurt and overwhelm. "Did you just verbally kicked me out?" he asked out of dissatisfaction.

There was not a single reply from YiJeong.

"What did Sweden do to my best friend?" WooBin said it out loud to attain YiJeong's attention.

There was still no response

"Fine then. I'll go but don't ever expect to see my face again" WooBin started to sulk.

"Urghh….. WHAT IS IT? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” YiJeong immediately shoot up. True that he was not in the mood but it was not to the extent that he was up to lose his lifelong best friends.

"So Yi Jeong, what is wrong with you?" WooBin expressed his concern.

"What? Is it wrong for me to take an extra nap?" YiJeong stared crudely at his friend.

"Jeong. It's not your style to sleep in the morning. Why? Something went wrong with your date?" WooBin jokingly said.

YiJeong said nothing, he went back lying on the bed instead.

"Oh my God. Something did went wrong. Like seriously? Our Casanova's date?" he stated in disbelieve as a conclusion to his friend’s strange behavior.

YiJeong for the infinity times expressed no response.

"Spill it, Jeong!" he shook YiJeong’s torso.

"Stop bothering me"

"Tell me"

"Go away"

"So Yi Jeong, tell me . . . " WooBin's unending pleads finally forced YiJeong to describe every single details of yesterday's date, including the horrifying first Viking ride, her juniors interception, and their first ever kiss, which in YiJeong's opinion had gone confusingly wrong. He was afraid that he was the only one enjoying the kiss to death. He also delineated on how he felt hesitant to contact GaEul even when his heart was actually dying to hear her voice again.

"And then?" WooBin commented after the long story telling session.

"That was particularly everything"

"Well, I don't see any reason for you to slump on your bed the whole day"

"But"

"You know, you don't have to get jealous over such petty things. GaEul has been looking only at you. Trust me."

"I'm not jealous"

"There's no need for any denial here" WooBin interjected, not interested to hear his friend's further lies. "But then your animalistic instinct seriously has to go" he seriously stated. "Look, GaEul is not even a percent of those ladies we dated before." WooBin continued.

"I know, but I couldn't seem to curb my own emotion."

"GaEul is fragile. Be careful with her, or I will personally break your neck" WooBin threatened. Although it was just an occasional visit, the time he spent with GaEul had taught him the real meaning of innocence and he had grew the paternal feeling of wanting to protect her naive soul from diabolic elements, and that would definitely include his well-known Casanova best friend.

YiJeong sighed at his best friend's words.

"Now what are you waiting for?" WooBin started to nag. "Call her up." he said ever so cheerfully. He smirked at YiJeong, starting to enjoy the famous potter’s change of conduct. From a boy who was afraid of love and obligation yet who had successfully hide behind a frail mask of a womanizer, WooBin could clearly see that his best friend was unconsciously transforming into a man who could disclose his emotion without the need of any form of conceal.

*******

“That was a foul!!” GaEul yelled as she slammed the game console she was holding onto the sofa.

“No it wasn’t. Accept the truth. I won. Five times in a row” MinSeok grinned as he took a bite on a doughnut that was served on the coffee table.

GaEul and MinSeok were spending their Sunday as usual. MinSeok baked a tray of doughnuts for breakfast and brought them over to GaEul’s. They had been playing console games the whole morning after a very short session of so called jogging and were now both waiting for the pizza they ordered through the phone.

“The pizza is here” GaEul mentioned the moment she heard the ringing of the door bell. She automatically shoot up and dashed towards the front door but suddenly slowed her steps as something struck her head. “MinSeok ah, can you bring my wallet here? I need to pay for the pizza” GaEul shouted immediately when she realized that she was already opening the gate without money in her hand. “I think the wallet is under the . . . WooBin sunbae!!!!” GaEul gasped the moment her eyes caught a glance of Song Woo Bin who was standing in front of the gate in place of the supposed pizza delivery man.

“What are you doing here?” she involuntarily asked as her brain was sending a deadly curiosity impulses to her nerves. What is Song Woo Bin doing in front of her gate without any early notice?

“Ga Eul-yang ! I really missed you!” upon seeing her, WooBin immediately spread his arms and deliberately pulled GaEul into a tight hug. The hug was so firm and extended that it sent GaEul to a state of trance, in where she went blank with confusion and not to mention, suffocation.

GaEul thought she was going to heaven for the cause of oxygen absenteeism in her lungs when eventually WooBin released her from his embrace after what GaEul thought as a loud sound of throat clearing. And when she thought the unearthly happenings will be over, she saw YiJeong whose eyes looked like they were going to fall of its sockets standing somewhere behind WooBin.

“YiJeong-sunbae!” she yelped in nano-volume, ultimately shocked by the presence of her boyfriend. Her brain was screaming a very loud NO!!! for YiJeong’s presence was utterly unexpected and the fact that she hasn’t even take her morning bath was making it worse.

“GaEul-yang. It had been a long time” WooBin placed her arms across her shoulders while having his own time giggling at only-God-knows-what reason. GaEul could only blink repetitively as she was still lost at words. The only thing that was filling her mind at the very time was her unruly hair and unwashed face that was being stared at by YiJeong.  

But the reality actually contradict GaEul’s thought. YiJeong was In fact, glaring at WooBin who was having fun making his best friend jealous. He was literally dragged by WooBin to GaEul’s house when he wanted to have some time alone, and when they had reached the targeted destination, his best friend’s childish acts make him wanted to bang his head on the wall.

“Can we go inside?” WooBin asked frankly as his eyes signed towards the basket of chocolates that was being held by YiJeong.

“Huh?” GaEul who still hasn’t escaped her moment of daze squealed. Their presence without warning was already a big shock to her, and now the two heirs were going to set their foot into her temperate house, which once again sent a wave of bewilderment across her nerves.

“Come”

 GaEul haven’t even declared her consent but WooBin has already pulled her by the shoulders into her house. She tilted her head to take a glance at her boyfriend who was trailing from behind while having his gaze laid on the grasses of her mini lawn. Looking at his doleful expression, she felt somewhat guilty for the blind accusation she had denounced on him the day before.

It was just an act of reflex, to protect herself from being the Chu Ga Eul from the past, the one who was easily toyed, a credulous girl whom she had spent the past four years trying to abandon. She had vowed to herself to not let insignificant people like Gu Soo Pyo affected her life in any way again, and the only way for it to happen were for her to forsake her gullible self and to start adopting a resolute way of conducting herself. But her act of reflex seemed to have hurt the other person judging from the awkward manner he was behaving.

“GaEul, I couldn’t find your wallet” MinSeok’s voice was heard, which immediately popped the thought bubbles that were floating around her mind. The two visitors’ existence had caused her to have a literal amnesia about the existence of her best friend. At an instance, she released her shoulder from WooBin’s guard and stepped into the living room.

“MinSeok, that wasn’t the delivery man” she raised her voice in order for the lad who was busy searching the television set cabinet’s drawer for her wallet to take notice. “It was, “she scratched her non- itchy scalp and stared at MinSeok who just whipped his head her way in the eyes. “We’ve got a company” she raised her brow to her stunned best friend, a slight smile plastered on her lips.

WooBin too, raised his brow at the sight of the unknown being that was now standing awkwardly in front of the television. “Sunbae, this is my friend, Kim Min Seok” she immediately introduced her best friend to Prince Song.

“Oh, hi” WooBin raised his right hand for a short Western styled greeting, while still having the face filled with inquisitiveness. He was going to open his mouth for an inquiry but was interrupted with the short ringing of the doorbell.

“That must be the pizza” GaEul who was gradually getting accustomed to the two aristocrats presence speedily ransacked the second drawer of the television cabinet and took her wallet before she practically ran outside to get the much anticipated fast food.

“Please, take a seat" MinSeok said in place of the house owner. "I'll get both of you something to drink" he let out a sheepish grin that practically revealed his pinkish gum. He then fleed to the kitchen, part of it because of the drinks, but most of it was just for him to escape.

The absence of GaEul and her friend left the two best friends in the living room, engulfed in awkward silence. WooBin first took a seat on the red sofa, the one located at the most edge. He then titled his head to look at YiJeong who was still having his eyes wandering around the perimeter. "Hmm" WooBin initiated, while actually trying to retrieve some appropriate things to be said from his words inventories. It had always been in his knowledge that GaEul has been living alone since her mum and dad had moved out of the house, and the existence of another member of the house is completely out of his cognizance.

YiJeong on the other hand, was on the verge of experiencing a mental breakdown. Once on the other day she stated that she slept at his house, and now he was contemplating whether it was the guy's turn to sleep at hers. He slowly scanned his surrounding as an indirect method of investigating. Her house was not very wide yet was neatly organized. Though they weren't perfectly arranged like his mansion which was obviously professionally designed, the interior was decently artistic with few pieces of what YiJeong thought as high class paintings decorating the wall of the living room.

Impressed with the painting, YiJeong further screened the room until his gaze halted at the coffee table, which was weighed down with a tray of half eaten doughnuts, a pair of game console, empty tins of orange juices and two cans of beers.

BEERS????

YiJeong mentally shrieked at the ominous things he just saw. Suddenly he had the strong urge to tell WooBin to look at these things closely for him to give reasons why shouldn't he better be slumping on his bed at this time.

"The pizza is here!" GaEul said cheerily as she walked in with a large box of pizza in her hand. She then placed the pizza on the coffe table after she cleared off the cans of beers like it was nothing unusual. And as if fate wanted to sprinkle salts onto YiJeong's heart, MinSeok loomed from the kitchen after a while with a big jug of iced tea on a tray.

"Oh? You made that? So fast?” GaEul asked as she watched MinSeok who was putting the jug on the table.

"Making iced tea usually won't take long you silly" he replied nonchalantly. "Besides, there was nothing non-alcoholic available in your fridge."he added.

GaEul tried to protest but was interrupted by the loud ringing of MinSeok's phone. She observed him when he was answering the call, and came into an apprehension that he had to go for a lunch appointment with Professor Megan, a statistic lecturer from the University of Seoul.

"Why would that woman set an appointment on Sunday, Mr Math Genius?“ she teased as he was excusing himself from the room. MinSeok just slanted his eyebrow and grinned to her before he bowed to the two other guest in the room and rushed out of the room. GaEul pouted, dissatisfied with his choice of not answering her question. She then sat on the sofa across the one that was occupied by WooBin and YiJeong.

"Hmm" the sound escaped WooBin's voice box again. Prior to the current situation, it was getting understandable, YiJeong's worries and discomfort towards GaEul's current conduct. Though that it was a common routine for YiJeong or even himself to have ladies hanging out at their place, the same rule absolutely does not apply for the country bumpkin who at the same time was the most conservative person WooBin knew, after setting his family's preacher aside.

"Sunbae, have a drink" GaEul offered. She poured the jug of orange juices into a pair of smaller glasses and passed it towards the two lads. "Oh yea, sunbae, what. . . . brings you two here?“ she asked immediately after the glasses reached the respective person's hand, her eyes round and filled with curiosity.

YiJeong whipped his head at WooBin's direction upon hearing her question. He too, did not know what on earth he was doing at her house. He squinted his eyes at his best friend as if to blame him for the current added misery he was having in his head. He was already feeling bad for the things he had done yesterday, and now thanks to him, it was now combined with the many questions revolving in his mind which he knew very well that he won’t be able to utter.

A moment of silence surrounded the room as WooBin furrowed his burrow and took his time before deciding to reply to GaEul’s question.

"GaEul-yang. Let’s go for a vacation"