----

“Oh… Ok… if you insist…” Leah sighed. She was astonished and didn’t expect this common offer from him.

“Wait, where’s Yun Ho?” she continued.
“He left earlier; I had to do something so I was left behind…” He replied.
“Oh…”

“We should be going now,” Jae Joong reminded. “Just tell me where your house is…”

“From what I remember you guys are just a few blocks away from us right?” She asked while they were on their way.
“Oh, yeah. You’re right I almost forgot about that…” he said.

“If it’s ok… Could I see your house?”
“Ahhh. Sure, that’s no problem…”


“Here’s our place…” Jae Joong said as he opened the gate.

As soon as the gate was fully opened, Leah saw a beautiful landscape, full of cherry blossom trees and a beautiful, old style, Japanese home in the middle.
They both proceeded on the paved path that leads to the front of the house.

Jae Joong stopped as soon as they reached the door, he observed the surroundings. “Itadaima! (I’m home)” he shouted.

Seconds later, hurrying footsteps were heard and the door opened.

“Jae??” Yun Ho called out while half his face was shown…
Jae Joong didn’t answer, gestured at Leah leading her the way in…
“Oh, you brought Leah with you…” Yun Ho said while closing the door.

“Yeah, she said she wanted to see the house…” the jet-black haired guy explained.

“Here, Leah. Borrow these for a while.” He continued now talking to Leah and giving her extra slippers.
“Arigato…(Thank you)” She thanked the umber haired guy.

They carried on to the hallway where all sorts of things are displayed or hanged. It felt like being in a mini museum. While on their way to the living room, Yun Ho kept stealing glances at Leah.
He tried to stop himself but he just couldn’t.

Jae Joong happened to glance at his back once and noticed Yun Ho…
“Yun Ho, daijobu???”

“Hai…(Yes)” he answered after being in a brief state of trance.
“Oh…ok.” Jae Joong nodded.

“This is our living room…” Jae Joong stated making a small gesture showing the room.

“Woah. Your place is so modern… This is nothing like the outside of your house, which was so traditional.” She stated in amazement.

“Yun Ho? It’s your turn to cook… ohhh.” Micky uttered and noticed Leah was there and greeted her,
“Kon-nichiwa(Hello!)”

“Kon-nichiwa.” Leah replied bowing her head and staying in that position for a few seconds.

“Leah, please sit down…” Jae offered.
“Ah… No thanks I’m just staying for a little while.” She declined, thanking the jet-black haired guy for his offer anyway.

The sound of a phone ringing chimed in.

“I’ll get that…” Jae Joong volunteered and left the three of them.

“Micky ah… Can you cook for me? Just for tonight?” the umber haired guy requested.
“Doe???(Why)” the ebony haired guy questioned.

“I feel really tired today…” he answered.
“But… a while ago you were jumping all over the place just because you saw your favorite actress on T.V. How can you feel weak all of a sudden?” the ebony haired guy remembered.

“Please?” Yun Ho begged giving him the puppy dog pout.
“Ahhh, Yun Ho?” Yoo Chun resisted and looked away… but then looked back.
“Ok, ok. I’ll do it.” finally agreeing to his friend’s request.

“Oh, I have to go… I’m sorry...” She interrupted looking at her pink (little hearts as the design) wrist watch.

“Jae Joong will walk you home…” Yoo Chun stated, wearing an apron with his name on it.
“No! I mean Jae is still on the phone... I’ll take her home.” Yun Ho volunteered.

“I thought you were tired?” Yoo Chun again questioned.
“Ok, we’ll be going now! Matte!(See you later)” the umber haired guy bid good-bye pushing Leah to the door and not answering Micky’s question.

……

Outside…

“Whooo, that was close…. Hmmm, Leah where do you live again? Jae Joong told me yesterday but I forgot…” The umber haired guy asked.
“Ahh, I live just a few blocks away… Near the convenience store… Do you know that place?” the foreign student asked.
“Ahh, yes… Now I remember where you live…”

……

“Leah, I’m sorry if I took long. I should walk you home now… EH?” Jae Joong stated and noticed Leah was gone.

Jae Joong went to the kitchen where Yoo Chun is and asked, “Micky….. Where’s Leah??”
“you got the wrong number…” Yoo Chun sang. He was too focused in his cooking to even hear his friend talking to him.
“Ah.. He’s listening to his iPod again…” He continued talking to himself.

So he tried again…..
“Yoo Chun!? Yoo Chun!?”

“……I’m sorry you got the wrong number, so don’t call me no more…”

“Yoo Chun??!”
“Eh??? OH? Jae Joong? Nandesuka?(What is it)” the ebony haired guy uttered while taking one ear phone off and dropping the wooden spatula he was holding.

“Where’s Leah?”

“Oh… They left just a while ago.” The ebony haired guy informed.
“They??”
“Yah… Yun Ho walked her home since you were still on the phone besides he volunteered himself… I really got confused because he told me he was tired already… But still he wanted to walk Leah home…” Micky said.

“Ahhh…” Jae Joong was about to leave when he stopped and remembered something.
“Micky? Yun Ho just doesn’t walk anybody home… Right?”
“Yeah so…?” Yoo Chun questioned while stirring the curry.
“He just walks a girl he likes…” the jet-black haired guy continued.
“Your point??”

“Micky, you’re so slow…. Leah is a girl and Yun Ho insisted on walking her home…”

“And…?”

“So probably Yun Ho has a ‘crush’ on Leah…” Jae Joong ended.
“Ahhhh… Hmmm, demo….(but)…” Yoo Chun stated but then stopped and thought for a second then continued, “Leah is not his type... So what you’re saying is impossible to happen.”

“Hmmmm, you got a point. Maybe he’s just being nice…” Jae Joong assumed, nodding his head in agreement.

……

“Where here….” Leah stated enthusiastically.
“Sugoi…(Wow)” Yun Ho said in amazement.
“You have a big house….” He continued walking towards the black wide gate.

“Actually it’s just like yours… Only this is modernized.” She modestly uttered.

“It must be awesome to have an actor for a dad…”
“Not really…. I don’t always get to hang out with him… He’s so busy lately.” The foreigner disagreed.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean--” Yun Ho apologized trying to take back what he had said.
“It’s ok. Yun Ho? Do you want to meet my dad?” She asked with a smile on her face.
“Yeah, of course I do!” Yun Ho exclaimed suddenly bringing up a happy smile as well.

“Yun Ho, if you wanted to meet my dad, you should have told me. That’s the reason why you wanted to walk me home right?” Leah questioned assuming her guess was correct.

“I’m not taking advantage of you or anything like that…Uh--” Yun Ho tried to explain but was cut by Leah, “I know… Look, you can meet my dad. It’s alright with me…” she agreed.

“Honto??(Really)” His face brightened.
“Yup, but maybe some other time… I don’t know if my dad will come home today.” She said with disappointment.
“That’s ok! As long as I get to meet him…” Yun Ho uttered while he jumped in front of her and held her hands.

An awkward moment of silence followed.

“Uh… Gomen nasai!(I’m sorry)” the umber haired guy apologized letting go of Leah’s hands.
“Again… It’s ok.” She forgave him.

“You are too nice…. Girls usually slap me afterwards…”

“No wonder…” She muttered.
“EH?”
“Nothing….”
“I better get inside now. Again, thank you…” She continued as she bowed her head.
“Doo itashimae(Your welcome)” He calmly stated bowing his head as well.
“Yun Ho… Ja ne(See you)” She bid good-bye once again with a cute smile and a cheerful face.
Then she entered…

Yun Ho turned around and suddenly held his chest the other hand rested on the wall…
“Why is my heart beating so fast again?”
“I must be dying…” the umber haired guy continued while slowly walking away, his right hand still on his chest.
The image of Leah flashed in his head and his heart thumped faster,
“Something’s really wrong with me…”
………

“I’m home!” Leah exclaimed, taking her shoes off and putting on her slippers.
“Leah!!!” a familiar voice greeted her.
As she looked up she saw it was her dad.
“Eh??”
“Is there something wrong??” Her father asked.
“It’s just that I thought you weren’t going home tonight…” She explained her reaction.
“Oh, plans change dear, the commercial was moved tomorrow… So I went home early.” Mr. Koizumi explained.
“Honto?”
“Well, there was this friend of mine who wanted to meet you but I told him you weren’t home so I said he could meet you some other time…”

“Is that so? I can’t believe I let a fan down like that…” Her father stated with disappointment.
“Wait you said, ‘him’? Who’s that him, you’re talking about??? Do I know him????” Mr. Koizumi questioned realizing her daughter has befriended a boy.
“Yes dad, I said ‘him’ and no, you don’t know him, I just met him yesterday, during the first day of school.” Her daughter elucidated.
……….
Back home…

Yun Ho quietly went in, so as not to disturb anybody.
He went straight to the living room and immediately hanged his jacket. When he was about to go to his bedroom, suddenly the lights . Yun Ho froze in his place.

“Yun Ho? What took you so long?”

The umber haired guy flinched and turned around, to see who was talking to him.

“We have been waiting for an hour and a half…”
Jae Joong stated pointing at their wall clock.

“I’m sorry guys… I was walking slowly and I also happened to pass by this dance studio, they were giving free lessons so I inquired…” He humbly apologized.

“All you can say is sorry… and you didn’t even realize that someone back home is waiting for you? I made you the best curry I could make, because I know you were really tired… Then you go off, take long to get back… And the curry we left for you is now cold! It’s not good to eat when it’s cold!!!!” Micky dramatized doing a fake cry while Jae was comforting him.

“Micky…”

“I’ve worked hard on that curry you know!!!” the ebony haired guy continued still fake crying.
“Wait… Yoo Chun? Wasn’t that ‘instant’ curry you made???” Jae Joong realized.
“Jae??? You know I am not a big fan of cooking… Still I worked hard on that! Now don’t interrupt my moment here.” The ebony haired guy answered.

“Yoo Chun… I’m sorry…..” Yun Ho kept on apologizing.
“No, no… You don’t understand.”
“Yoo Chun… We can reheat it!” the umber haired guy suggested.

Micky sobbed. “Hmmm, ok… Yun Ho, you would really love my cooking from now on, after you taste my curry…!” he said, suddenly becoming cheerful and afterwards went straight to the kitchen.

“Nande??(What)” Jae Joong wondered and got confused by Yoo Chun’s weird actions.
“Jae… Goodnight!!!” Yun Ho stated and blew him a kiss.
Jae Joong was startled.
“Yun Ho… What was that for??” He asked.

“You had a bad day right? And I don’t know how you and Micky made up, but I know you still feel a little blue… So I blew you a kiss to make you feel better….”

“Yun Ho, stop doing that, I’m fine… You’re freaking me out, alright?” the jet-black haired guy requested for his own good.

“Hmmmmmmm, fine….” Yun Ho agreed with a change in his happy tone.
“Yun Ho!!!!!? Come here, it’s almost ready!!!!” Yoo Chun shouted calling out to his friend all the way from the kitchen.

“See you tomorrow Jae…” Yun Ho uttered, smiled then left…

“Sometimes he really just freaks me out…” Jae Joong whispered, while scratching his head and then proceeded to his room.

…………

As soon as he closed the door, his phone rang… He checked who was calling and then threw it on his bed. He waited for the caller to hang up but the ringing didn’t stop, he had no choice but to answer it.

“annyeong hasaeyo(Hello)” a calm and serious voice greeted him.
“Nandesuka?(What is it)” Jae Joong replied.
“Jae Joong, stop talking to me in Nihonggo, you know I won’t understand you…” the female voice reminded.
“Ye Jin, just tell me what you want to say, I’m busy…” the jet-black haired guy stated.
“Ok…Jae Joong I’m really sorry. Even I didn’t expect this. We really need to save our business. And that’s the only way...”
“Ye Jin, I don’t want to talk about this…” He replied already wanting to hang up.
“Jae Joong, I……”

“Look, if he really wants to save your business, he should find other ways. Your father is a smart businessman, I’m sure he could think of something other than you having an arranged marriage…” he continued.

“You don’t understand…”

“They don’t like me, ok? And it’s like hitting two birds with one stone, your business will be saved and your father could get rid of me…”

“I don’t agree with them, I never did… I’ve tired everything… They were actually glad you got sent to Tokyo to finish your studies there…I did my best…” she elucidated.

“But I have feelings too, Ye Jin. I’ve tolerated your father since we started dating, I tried to prove myself to him, but he just couldn’t accept me…”

“Jae, I still love you… Isn’t that enough…?”
“It would be, but your father keeps on getting in the way…”
“Look, I have to go now….”
“Wait…!”

Then Jae Joong hung up…