WARNING: REALLY RALLY REALLLLYYY LONG CHAPTER AHEAD

 

2004, Aged 15.

A guy was waiting in front of lockers 14 and 15. He fidgeted nervously while wringing his hands behind his back as he kept darting his gaze between his watch on his wrist and the entrance of the school.

15 minutes before the first lesson, she should be arriving in no time.

He took a deep breath, and closed his fingers around the single stalk of rose behind his back. He hoped against the odds that he would be the lucky one to survive.

-----

She laughed lightly as she listened to her friend’s animated chatter about stupid little things in life that shouldn’t even matter. Sometimes she wondered if she was particularly matured to not bother about what colour to paint her nails, or was she just being too nonchalant about her looks.

She figured nails didn’t matter. If she didn’t care about what colour they were, boys wouldn’t either.

The girl nodded half-heartedly as she and her best friend walked on, with the latter still chattering about her recent French manicure. Her eyes zoomed in on the discipline master reprimanding a couple that were caught hugging in school.

She blinked.

This was perhaps her rather late change on her perception of boys that was occurring rather recently. Boys were no longer “disgusting” but rather...she had to agree some of them could even be termed “cute”. How strange.

She smiled to herself as she pictured a boy thinking of her as “cute” as well. A thought popped into her head and she looked around consciously.

What if...there was really someone like that? And he was watching her?

She was about the drift off in her many daydreams when her friend nudged her. “Hey isn’t that Youngbae from our class? What’s he doing in front of our lockers?”

The girl’s eyes widened and she gasped lightly. What if he was it? The guy that thought she was cute. What should she reply? What should she do, she never had experience before, and never thought about what to say should someone confess to he-

“I think you’re cute, Bona. Will you go out with me?”

Lee Minhee stopped in her tracks as she watched with large eyes as Youngbae presented the delicate flower to her best friend. Minhee felt herself being pushed further away and she ducked away to the corner as a crowd gathered around to watch the confession.

She was in a daze for the next couple of minutes, varying between agitation for her own wilfulness and disappointment. Bona finally found her way back to Minhee when the crowd cleared after the whole fiasco.

“Where did you disappear to?” Bona pouted. “I wanted your support when I rejected Youngbae. He’s a nice guy.”

Minhee shrugged. “So..why did you reject him? You said he’s nice.” She blinked at Bona.

Bona twisted her lips wistfully and gave a small grin. “Since you’re my bestest best friend in the world, I’ll tell this to you and only you.” She leaned closer. “I have a tinsy bit crush on our class monitor.”

“Yoon Chanyoung?” Minhee’s eyes widened. That was surprising. Bona could have gotten anyone she liked but Minhee would never have expected that Bona would go for the quiet nice guy.

“Shh!” Bona giggled. “That’s why I rejected Youngbae.” She closed her locker with a click and sighed dreamily. “I can’t wait for the day when he asks me out!” she said it with such confidence like she knew it was going to happen.

Minhee followed as Bona looped her arms together with hers and they went to class. She wondered when she would have such confidence and certainty for attaining someone’s affections.

 

2006, Aged 17

“I can’t believe him! He said he had to spend time with his best friend again!” Bona whined, huffing cutely. “I hate that my boyfriend has a female best friend. Can you believe a guy and girl being friends? There’s no such thing right?”

Minhee blinked to herself. Well, it seemed completely possible because thus far, all the guys that she met had only been friends. Nothing more.

“Eotteohke Minhee?” Bona sighed and shook her head. “It’s been two hours since I posted my selfie on SNS and he hasn’t even liked it yet! What do you think they are doing that he didn’t even check my SNS for two hours?” she frowned.

It was Minhee’s turn to shake her head.

It was two years after Bona first confessed to Minhee about her crush on Chanyoung, and it was only in the recent month that Lee Bona and Yoon Chanyoung finally got together. It was completely epic, anyway, because despite Bona’s initial confidence in Chanyoung asking her out for a date, it didn’t happen.

They worked on several projects together which led Chanyoung and Bona to become closer, but Chanyoung had never expressed any other interest in Bona besides platonic friendship. He was too gentleman to take advantage of her, too nice to show jealousy when she talked to other guys (if he even felt it) and too reserved to give a hint of his feelings.

Bona, was unexpectedly the one to make the first move. She asked Chanyoung out on a date, to which he agreed after much death threats on Bona’s side, and they finally made it to being a couple.

Chanyoung had confessed that he had his eyes on Bona the entire while but didn’t dare act on it because he thought he wasn’t worthy of her. To which, Minhee thought he was completely sweet but Bona just grew annoyed and irritated at his hesitance.

Minhee thought Chanyoung was very much a perfect boyfriend with nothing to complain about, but everyday, Minhee would still find herself sitting beside Bona, listening to the latter rattle about this and that.

Her best friend was adorable but sometimes she just wanted to strangle the former.

She was about to open to tell Bona off when Kwon Jiyong from the A class walked past their table and sat down to the table next to theirs. He opened his textbook and began reading while bobbing his head up and down to the music on his headphones.

Bona noticed Minhee’s lack of replies and finally turned to find out what caught her best friend’s attention. A sneaky little smile appeared on her lips.

“So it’s hoes over bros now huh?” Bona whispered, giggling softly. Minhee snapped her head towards her best friend with her eyes wide opened.

“I love seeing your reaction when Jiyong is near.” Bona commented. “You completely freeze up and your hands play with your hair automatically.” She noted. Minhee immediately put down her hands that were smoothing out her hair out of habit.

“Why don’t you just talk to him huh?” Bona encouraged with a bright smile. “Don’t be shy! Have confidence in yourself, you overheard the other girls from D class ranking our class’s girls right? They said you were ranked 5^th!”

Minhee chose not to comment how those girls actually ranked Bona first. In the whole school.

“You’re an attractive girl, Kwon Jiyong should be grateful that you even want to talk to him!” Bona nudged Minhee softly. “So go!”

Minhee stumbled off her chair and made a mad grab at her books which failed, causing them to drop majestically onto the ground. The noise caused several students to look in her direction, including Kwon Jiyong.

Minhee flinched and cursed herself for being so clumsy. “It’s okay, at least you have his attention!” Bona whispered and punched her fist in the air with a blindingly bright smile. “Fighting!”

Minhee nodded and repeated in a much softer manner. “Fighting!”

She shuffled over to Jiyong’s table shyly and waited for him to look up at her. He stared at his books intently, completely oblivious to the melting pool of nerves just next to him. This wasn’t how she expected Jiyong to react when she was near.

In fact, any reaction would be better than no reaction at this point.

Minhee cleared roughly and peeked at him hopefully. The sound woke Jiyong from his reading trance and he glanced up at her, his brows furrowed and looking quite annoyed at the disruption.

Oh no.

“Hi, Jiyong sshi.” Minhee felt her cheeks heating up in an admirable progression as she fiddled with her fingers behind her back. “I just want to tell you that I really admire you...YOUR, erm, compositions.” Minhee heard Bona stifling a giggle behind.

She took a deep breath and continued. “I really liked your song BLUE that you published in the school magazine the other day. I think if some singers were to sing it, it would be fantastic.” She put two thumbs up just for good measure.

Jiyong was noticeably less annoyed after Minhee’s breathless rant, since this disruption to his reading was quite a nice one to his ears. He sat up and gave her a small smile, of which he had absolutely no idea what it did to Minhee’s heart.

“Thanks. I appreciate this a lot.” Jiyong nodded. “I’m actually sending the song for a competition right now so I really hope to win something.”

Minhee beamed at Jiyong brightly. “I’m sure you will!” she encouraged, her hands flattening her hair furiously. She honestly could be funny and witty at times, but when she was faced with a guy she found attractive, Minhee just couldn’t be herself.

Jiyong gave her an appreciative nod. “Thanks for telling me these.” He told her sincerely. “Uhm, may I know your name? Are you a first year too?”

Slight disbelief crossed her expression and she struggled to keep it in check. Minhee had always thought that the day she finally fell for someone, that someone would have fallen for her as well.

Even if, that someone hadn’t actually fallen for her yet, as in this case, she would have thought that someone would have at least known her name. Or her existence for that matter.

It was an absolute shocker that the guy whose name she doodled on all her notepads...he didn’t even know of her. Goodness.

“Yup I’m a first year. In fact I’m in class B, just next to your class.” Minhee bit her lip, hoping that JIyong would actually recognize her and gasp in obvious disappointment in his own behavior. Of course! She was Minhee! How could he forget?

However that didn’t happen and the only realization Jiyong had served to remind Minhee of just how dull and unnoticeable she was.

“Oh! I remember!” Jiyong nodded. “You’re Lee Bona’s best friend right? My friend Youngbae confessed to your best friend two years ago, remember? That was a joke, really.” He gave her one final smile that indicated the end of their conversation. “Anyway, thanks for the encouragement.”

Minhee nodded awkwardly and retreated back to her table with Bona. Bona leaned forward excitedly, her eyes shining with enthusiasm and curiosity. “So what did you two talk about!” she whispered. “Tell me everything!”

Minhee just shrugged and smiled bitterly. “Nothing much in particular. I doubt we would talk again.”

She sighed and looked back at her own notes, trying to drown herself in studies. Had she no charm? Why didn’t he even remember her as herself, but as Bona’s best friend?

Minhee pushed her spectacles up her face and wondered to herself. Maybe it was time...to get a little change.

 

 

2007, Aged 18

Minhee gripped her results slip tightly and stared at her teacher for help. It was the results day for all College Entrance exams and the day where all the high school students could finally see the results of their hardwork.

“Just look, Minhee.” Her teacher laughed. “I promise it isn’t as bad as you think.”

Bad? That word freaked Minhee out. What was considered bad?

The college entrance exam was one of the biggest milestones since her birth. All the other exams to date weren’t as important as this one, as it was the one which determined if she could get into the university she desired, or the course she wanted.

She didn’t want to be resigned to doing something she didn’t like for the rest of her life, just because she couldn’t get into the course or faculty she wanted.

Minhee slowly turned the paper around and scanned her grades. An A..another A...another A...

Minhee’s eyes widened. She almost had a perfect score with only a single B! That was much more than she expected. She let out a squeal and hugged her teacher, who laughed and patted her back. “Good job, Minhee. I always knew you could do it.”

Minhee beamed gratefully and quickly turned to find her best friend, wondering how she did. She spotted Bona in the corner of the hall, staring at her result slip with blank eyes.

Worried, Minhee rushed to her best friend at once. “Are you okay, Bona?” she murmured carefully. “How was it?”

Bona let out a breath and threw her arms around Minhee. “Eotteohke, Minhee?” she sniffled. “I barely make it to Design School. It would take me quite some luck to get in.”

Minhee patted Bona’s back and sighed softly. The two always came in a pair, and even if she got fantastic results for herself, she wouldn’t feel good if Bona didn’t do well too. “It’s going to be okay, Bona. You can go for other private design schools or try for an appeal!” she encouraged.

Bona just nodded dejectedly. Her phone rang at this instant and she let out of huff of breath when she saw Chanyoung calling. Her boyfriend had just gone up stage to receive his certificate for his perfect score (as expected) and he was probably calling to find out how she did.

“Why aren’t you picking up? I’m sure he’s worried.” Minhee blinked. Bona slid her phone back into her bag and shook her head. “I’m too ashamed to meet him.” She sniffed. “Chanyoung stayed up so many nights to help me revise for the exams and I still screwed up. How can I face him?”

Bona hugged her bag to herself. “I need some time for myself today, Minhee. If you see Chanyoung, just help me avoid him please?” she trudged away with heavy steps.

Minhee watched her go with an equally heavy heart. She hoped everything would be alright.

A few minutes later, Chanyoung could be seen filtering through the crowds as his tall head popped up above everyone else’s. He finally caught sight of Minhee and his eyes brightened, rushing in her direction.

“Hey Minhee!” he ran over. “Did you see Bona? She hasn’t been answering my calls. I’m worried.”

No how did you do Minhee? Hope you did fine. Nothing.

Although it made sense since Bona was his girlfriend and he would naturally be concerned about Bona first before everyone else, it still when she saw just how little she meant to him.

“I think she went home.” Minhee pointed. “And congrats for getting the top score agai-“ she faltered as Chanyoung yelled a quick thanks before running off in where Minhee pointed. She sighed and picked up her own phone, only to see messages from her parents and relatives, asking how she did for her exams.

Minhee slumped against the wall and watched the flurry of movements as other students cried or laugh when they got their result slips. She spotted Jiyong hugging his girlfriend Dara, both of them laughing and smiling brightly, apparently doing quite well for their exams.

A small sigh escaped her lips.

Why was there no special someone here for her at moments like this? No someone to turn to the minute she needed support, no someone to rush to her like how Chanyoung rushed to Bona.

She might have gotten better results, but somehow she felt emptier than ever.

 

 

2008, Aged 19

 

“Hey Minhee!”

“Hi!” Minhee chirped as she entered the room. Few people moved aside so she could get a seat and Minhee thanked them with a smile.

Minhee got into the university of her choice, Seoul National University and she was studying Business Administration, which was one of the most competitive courses. Bona couldn’t get in, and she opted for a private design school which demanded horrifyingly high school fees. Thankfully, Bona’s family could afford it. Chanyoung on the other hand got into Seoul National University as well, but he was in a double degree programme for Chemical Engineering and Environmental Studies.

Minhee had joined several projects and in this particular project, she had a tinsy bit crush on the Project Director. He was a year 4 student and he was really nice to her.

It was the first time in her 19 years of life that a guy seemed to treat her a little more than a friend.

Choi Seunghyun, the said senior, entered the room and he flashed everyone a smile. “Hey guys, ready for the meeting?” Some of them responded with a groan and Seunghyun just laughed. He walked over to take a seat and on his way, he ruffled Minhee’s hair.

Her heart skipped a bit. Did that mean anything or was that just usual skinship for guys? She didn’t know. She had no experience.

The meeting started and Minhee couldn’t help but stare at Seunghyun. He was rather cute and not to mention, kind and caring to everyone. That’s was the problem.

He was nice to every single person and Minhee didn’t know if he treated her exceptionally well or not. She often replayed their brief interactions at night in her bed, trying to decipher if he indeed was interested in her.

The meeting drew to a close and Minhee quickly averted her eyes from Seunghyun’s face when the lights came on, before anyone could catch her doing it. She fiddled with her files and tucked them into her bag when she felt a shadow over her.

“Hey, wanna have dinner after this?” Seunghyun gave Minhee a grin. Minhee gave an internal scream of delight as she struggled to reply. Was this considered a date?

Minhee flattened her hair once more and squeezed her skirt. “Yes. That would be nice.” She smiled shyly.

“Great.” Seunghyun nodded and signalled to the rest of the committee members. “Minhee is joining us as well!” he gave a thumbs up. The rest of the members gave whoops of delight. “Yay!”

Minhee on the other hand, felt a heart drop as she quickly kept her eyes on the ground. She mentally scolded herself for thinking too much and sighed softly to herself. Of course, it was a mass dinner. He never said it was just the two of the did he?

-----

Throughout the entire dinner, Minhee sat and talked to a few other girls quietly, always willing for Seunghyun to come over to their side. He didn’t.

He fooled around with the other guys and didn’t seem to pay Minhee a single ounce of attention.

She wasn’t the type to make the first move and she didn’t dare. She waited, and waited, and waited for him to make a move, but he didn’t.

She waited. And waited. Until she decided not to wait anymore.

 

2011, Aged 22

There was something about being in your final year in college. Age and youth was something the year 4 seniors grab onto because they were the oldest of the bunch.

In all honesty, 22 wasn’t a old OLD age. It wasn’t.

However compared to the rest of the college students, it did feel old. Especially when you were 22 and still single.

Minhee was turning 23, and for the Year 4 guys in college, they were turning 25. It wasn’t such a surprise to see news of engagements and marriage on facebook and SNS at all. Minhee would like those statuses with a bitter, heavy heart.

She had resigned to fate, actually. There wasn’t much hoping or anticipation she could do.

She was about to get her honours degree in Business Administration in First Class, which was an amazing achievement. She had amazing internships, her resume was absolutely flattering and note-worthy.

However even so, she wasn’t happy. She might be one of the best qualifying members in her family, but whenever her aunts and uncles asked about her love life, she immediately avoided the topic.

Sometimes, she felt like she could trade some of her brains for some luck in the love department. Too bad that wasn’t possible.

On some days, the loneliness was terrible. Especially Valentines.

This particular valentines, Minhee was holed up at home, watching a drama while eating a tub of Ben and Jerry’s in her bed. She used to go out with a few other single friends who liked to joke about turning into spinsters together and getting a house with lots of cats.

They didn’t mean it of course, but Minhee was the only one who seriously considered.

This year, all her friends got attached and Minhee could only resign to staying at home on this love-filled day. They always told her that her special someone was out there somewhere, and that it was impossible that throughout her 22 years of life, not a single guy had a crush on her.

They always reasoned that perhaps those guys that had crushes on her were too shy to make a move.

However Minhee knew better than that. There was absolutely no one, no one at all that showed an interest in her beyond platonic relations.

Amongst all the males that Minhee had met throughout her 22 years of life, not one, NOT ONE, was interested in her.

The only peak of her entire love life was when a random stranger added her on facebook. How pathetic.

Minhee sniffed as she ate another spoonful of ice cream and was horrified to find her cheeks wet. She wiped her tears away and shook her head. “Stupid girl, don’t cry. You’ll look even more like a spinster.”

But then the tears still fell.

Minhee sank deeper into her covers and closed her eyes. Resignation was what she felt. If there was no expectation, there would be no disappointment right?

After all, who would fall for a charmless girl like her?

 

2014, Aged 25

“Have you got your ID card? What if they needed it for registration at the counter?” Bona gasped. “Did you bring it?”

“I did, I did.” Minhee assured. “Don’t worry.”

Bona let out a huge sigh of relief. “Okay good. Oh! How about those certificates and qualifications? Would your new boss want a copy of those?”

“Those were handed up during the interview, Bona.” Minhee chuckled softly. “Don’t worry so much Bona, this isn’t my first job anymore, I know what I’m doing.”

“It’s not your first job, but it’s still your first day at a new job!” Bona whined. “As your bestest best friend in the universe, don’t I get a right to worry?”

Minhee smiled. Bona was such a sweet girl at times.

Minhee had worked at her previous position in an Accounting firm for 3 years and just recently, the renowned SM firm actually contacted Minhee to offer her a position as Assistant Marketing Director. She was thrilled since it was a huge pay increase and warranted more career progression, so it wasn’t a surprise that she agreed.

Today was coincidentally the first day at work in SM firm, and Minhee was surprisingly feeling rather relaxed as opposed to how Bona was feeling.

“I’m going to do fine, Bona, so don’t worry.” Minhee smiled as she strode towards her new office. Minhee was a competent career woman now, and she had achieved quite a lot within the short years. Everything, but in her love life of course.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on the bus on the way to work now?” Minhee glanced at her watch. “Your students will be missing their art teacher.”

 Bona let out a giggle. “I overslept so now Chanyoung has to drive me to school. We’re currently waiting in a drive through for our coffee actually.” Minhee heard vague groans of complaints from the said guy from the other end of the line as he complained about having to wake up earlier than usual to send his girlfriend to work.

“Anyway, call me after you end work alright?” Bona chattered excitedly. “All the best to my bestest friend today! I hope there are some hot, single and available men in your office!”

Minhee just laughed and shook her head. “Thanks babe, I’ll call you when I get off work.” She hung up and just sighed softly, slowly trudging her way to the main office building.

Hot, single and available men? Who cared if there were any in the office, because no way in hell would they take notice of her.

There was once in her life she might have even been self-conscious when she saw an attractive male, but nah, she didn’t care anymore. If she were charming enough to attract the attention of a hot, single and available male, she would have done so at least once in her 25 years.

Surely that proved how charmless she was.

Minhee took a deep breath and eyed the shining tall skyscraper that was to be her new office. “No point thinking about my non-existent love life, Lee Minhee, fighting!” she punched the air with her fists and nodded, marching enthusiastically forward.

She had no idea however, that the little action was caught by an office bachelor who was waiting at the red light. He caught sight of an impeccably dressed office lady suddenly stopping in the middle of the pavement and muttering to herself, before firmly nodding and marching with renewed energy.

He couldn’t catch her face, but her body expressions were funny enough to rouse his laughter. He saw that she entered his office building and he grinned. “Maybe I’ll see her around some day.” He murmured.

A loud horn snapped him out of his thoughts and he eyed his rear view mirror. He signalled embarrassedly to the driver behind and quickly drove off when he realized that he had remained stationary for quite some time even as the traffic light turned green.

He promptly forgot about the clumsy girl he just saw, weaving through the streets.

But, Lee Minhee, at least you caught his attention. Even if for a second.

-----

“This is your table, Minhee sshi.” Manager Jung directed. “If you have any problems, feel free to ask any of your marketing team teammates.”

Minhee thanked the manager and settled in her seat, sending warm, polite smiles to her new colleagues. Her desk partner, a girl called Subin, rolled over to her side and held out her hand. “I’m Subin, nice to meet you. If you have any queries feel free to ask me anything alright?”

Before Minhee could reply, the cute and bubbly girl already continued. “Also, for any office gossips, come to me.” She winked. “I know all the dirty secrets from everyone around here.”

“All?” Minhee echoed, her eyes wide.

“Hmm well not ALL.” Subin admitted reluctantly. “I’ve been unable to dig out any interesting news from this hot Finance Manager from the next team.” She pointed to the other end of the office level. “His name is Kai, twenty six years old and already the team leader for his team. Really impressive.” She counted the traits off her fingers. “And as far as I know, completely and wonderfully single.” She grinned.

“Many girls here have a crush on him you know, even some of the attached ones.” Subin whispered, her eyes shining with a glimmer of humour. “If I didn’t have a boyfriend, I’d be one of them too. One good thing is that my boyfriend works in Kai’s team, so I have the pleasure of seeing my eye candy whenever I pop to visit him.” She winked.

Minhee just laughed and shook her head. She wasn’t very interested in knowing about these things when it obviously didn’t concern her. Moreover, she was more concerned about starting her work right on her first day.

“Ayee, look at how disinterested you are.” Subin teased. “Either you already have a boyfriend, or you swing the other way.”

“I’m not lesbian!” Minhee gasped a little too loudly. An older colleague from the other table shot her disapproving looks and she quickly ducked her head.

Subin stifled a laugh and stuck her tongue out. “Then you must have a boyfriend. Well, should have expected that. Someone like you would have scores of guys coming after you! I’ll leave you to your work, we’ll talk during lunch!” she winked and rolled back to her seat.

Minhee stared at her fingers blankly as her self esteem waved quite a bit. She didn’t understand why people around her always thought she was a good catch but just none of the opposite felt so.

Some of her closer friends sometimes told her that they didn’t understand it as well. She was a nice person, rather pretty and there weren’t any major flaws that deterred males altogether.

Minhee always laughed and shrugged when they told her that. If she knew what was wrong with her, she would have fixed it by now.

Minhee her computer and logged in with her new username and password, throwing all depressing thoughts out of her mind. It didn’t matter anymore because now, she was determined to be alone.

 

-----

 

Subin looped her arms with Minhee as she talked animatedly about the different people in the company. Who had an extramarital affair, who was single, who was married, who graduated from Havard etc etc. It was a wonder how Subin knew all these things.

The Marketing team made their way to the staff canteen, chatting casually with one another. They asked Minhee few questions about herself and her past job and were impressed with her past positions and responsibilities.

Some of them began explaining a few amenities available in their office building when Subin let out a loud “Suho oppa!”, grabbing all their attention. Minhee watched as Subin flew over to a fair-skinned guy and embraced him without a care in the world.

“That’s Subin’s boyfriend, Suho.” One of her colleagues explained. “He works in the Finance team.”

Minhee nodded in understanding. Subin waved her over and Minhee approached the Finance team shyly. “Anyeonghaseyo.” She bowed.

“No need to be so formal.” Subin teased. “This is Minhee, she’s the new girl our department. Minhee, this is Suho my boyfriend!” she introduced. “And behind him is the Finance department!” A few of them said hi.

“And that dark skinned guy over there talking to the tall guy?” Subin whispered. “That’s the famous Kai I was talking about. Handsome right?”

Minhee peered over and let her eyes scan Kai from top to toe. Handsome, was quite the understatement. The past Lee Minhee would have squealed and fawned over him, but the present Minhee was different. The present Minhee didn’t want to think nor care about boys any longer.

She just smiled and looked away. “Any recommendations on what to eat here?” She laughed at Subin’s disappointment at her own lack of enthusiasm in seeing a hot guy. “Are you kidding me? Is he not handsome enough?” Subin gaped. “How can you have absolutely no reaction at all?”

“I’m hungry for food right now, not an eye candy. So, you were talking about the great Bibimbap stall here?” Minhee prompted. Subin pouted. “Oh alright. You better show me your boyfriend’s photo someday because I expect to see a Won Bin standard.” She wagged her finger. “Come on, let’s queue for food.” She dragged Minhee away.

Behind them, Kai finally finished his intense debate with Chanyeol and he looked around at his team members. “So, what did I miss?”

Suho had already bought a bowl of Ox tail soup and he sat his platter on the table. “Hm, Subin said there was a new girl in the Marketing team and she introduced her to us. Her name is Lee Minhee I think.”

“Hmm okay.” Kai shrugged, not really interested. He signalled for Chanyeol to grab some food when he caught sight of the familiar silhouette with light blue chiffon top and dark navy blue pencil skirt. He raised his brows and blinked in surprise.

It was that clumsy girl in the morning.

“Wait hyung.” Kai turned back suddenly and Suho froze in mid-air with a piece of rib hanging from his mouth. “Is that the Lee Minhee you were talking about?” he pointed.

Suho squinted and gave a nod. “Hmm eeah. Waa ah euu sho eenshereshed?” he mumbled with his mouth full. Kai scratched his head, completely not understanding a single word.

“He meant, hmm yeah. Why are you so interested?” Chanyeol translated. Suho nodded enthusiastically and the two high-fived. Kai laughed and shook his head in amusement. “Have I ever told you two that you are the weirdest guys I’ve ever met?”

Chanyeol slung his arm around Suho’s shoulder. “No, but be honoured. You are permitted to bask in our presence.” He stuck up his nose.

Suho frowned and punched Chanyeol in the arm. “Yah, I’m eating!”

 

-----

 

When Kai finally purchased his own plate of Kimchi fried rice and made his way back to the table, he was pleased to find out that the seat beside the new Marketing Department girl was empty. He saw his team mate Tao making his way there and he panicked. “Tao!”

The panda-eyed accountant turned back in confusion. “Yes hyung?”

Kai quickly made his way over and took the change to sit down next to Minhee while Tao was still waiting for him to say something. “Nothing, just wanted to say that your noodles look great today.” Kai flashed a quirky smile.

Tao’s jaw dropped and he huffed, shuffling to take another seat. “Bully!”

Kai pretended he didn’t hear anything and shot a secretive glance at Minhee. Till now, he still did not know what she looked like and he was rather curious. She was turned away from him as she chatted with Subin, but Kai could catch the side of her face which looked pretty pleasant.

Unfortunately for him, his little staring was caught by Subin and the chatterbox gave him a sneaky grin. He quickly averted his eyes to his fried rice and scooped a huge spoonful into his mouth. “Hey Kai.” At her voice, Kai internally cringed and slowly looked up.

“You haven’t been introduced right? This is Lee Minhee, the new assistant marketing director.” Subin nudged Minhee’s side and wriggled a brows, a sign that she had obviously tattled about him to this new girl. Kai sometimes wished he could tape up Suho’s girlfriend.

“And this is the Kai I’ve been telling you about.” Subin winked at Minhee who laughed and shook her head. What did that mean?

“What have you told her about me?” Kai raised his brows. “Bad-mouthing me already?”

Subin stuck out her tongue. “Yeah I told her all your dirty secrets!” Totally not threatened, Kai smirked. “Then I’m fine since I have none of those right?”

Finally, he turned to Minhee and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Kai. You can call me Jong In as well, whichever floats your boat.” He flashed her a charming smile. He finally took a look at her face and bit back a smile. He finally could put a face to the clumsy body he saw in the morning.

She was surprisingly open and friendly, and she had nice hazelnut coloured eyes. She wasn’t blindingly gorgeous but definitely above average and quite pleasant looking.

Minhee took his hand and gave him a firm shake. Nothing like a weak wriggle most girls do. The thing he noticed about her as how she looked him in the eye and just smiled as if greeting just another regular person.

Kai blinked.

It was...weird. Females were usually shy, not daring to meet his eyes. There were exceptions of course, but one could tell when the opposite was flirting. Even if not flirting, like Subin for example, Kai could still tell when they were interested or even when they merely thought he was attractive.

When a female thought he was attractive, it was quite obvious in their appreciative gazes. It was apparent: Lee Minhee didn’t think he was attractive. How new.

“So how did you find your new job so far?” Kai asked, watching as she chewed. There was something just so endearing about how she just ate without being self-conscious or trying hard to look demure. It was just so, so natural.

Minhee looked up from her rice and gave a grin. “It’s been quite alright, but it’s hard to give an accurate judgement when I’ve only been on the job for several hours.” She quirked her head.

Kai opened his mouth to ask her something else but Subin beat him to it, grabbing Minhee’s attention first. The two chatted amongst themselves and Kai bit his lip, discreetly eavesdropping.

He found that Minhee was straightforwardly cute and honest, sometimes witty and sometimes adorably blur. She was quite a nice female friend to have.

Kai decided then that Minhee was alright to get close to, and since she was from another department, it wouldn’t be awkward on their work relations. The thing that was most crucial was how apparently she didn’t find him attractive, and it was mystifying yet comforting at the same time.

As much as it would be obnoxious for him to admit, Kai never had many female friends because it always became complicated. It just seemed impossible for him to have a platonic relationship with a female friend because somehow another, they would turn possessive even when they were merely friends. As such, Kai only ever had male friends.

He thought it would be nice for a change, having a female buddy.

“Yah, she’s pretty but not THAT gorgeous.” Sehun nudged Kai’s side. “Stop staring at her, you’re turning into a creep.” He whispered.

Kai cleared his throat and quickly averted his eyes. “Just staring at the menu over her head.” He fibbed. Sehun snickered and stuck out his tongue. “Oh yes, Mr Jong In sshi.”

Sarcastic little....

STOPPP HERE

-----

 

It was rather strange how it happened.

Lee Minhee, who had never really had many close guy friends, was actually being pals with Kim Jong In pretty quickly.

They originally just talked a few times during lunch breaks when they saw each other, but not much. Then one day, Kai came to their department requesting for a copy of the newest marketing proposal and the only available person at that time was Minhee.

They chatted for a few as they waited for the 100 page proposal to be printed, shared a few inside jokes before parting ways.

Then, Minhee was put in charge to be the point of contact between the Finance and Marketing department since the original colleague in charge went on maternity leave. Since then, they had more contact and Kai often added snarky comments at the end of his emails.

They started really talking when Kai found her stranded at the printing machine once. The machine went completely crazy and being the techno-noob she was, Minhee had no idea what to do as she furiously pressed on all available buttons trying make it work.

Kai showed up at that moment, quickly solving her problem like a pro. At that moment, Minhee did feel like he was some sort of a knight-in-armour but she quickly dispelled that thought. He might be a knight but she definitely wasn’t his princess.

He ruffled her hair and demanded for her phone just then. He dialled a few numbers and his own phone rang. Minhee blinked in confusion, when he saved her number in his phone and vice versa.

“Next time, you can call me when the machine jams up.” Kai knocked her head with her phone and chuckled when she winced. “The IT guy takes his own sweet time to get here, so it’s faster if you ask me.”

Minhee frowned. “But you’re the finance team leader, I’m sure you have more important things to do than fixing a printer.” She argued, already making a mental note not to turn to him when such things happened again.

Kai picked up the freshly printed pile of graphs and handed them to her. “It’s fine, I’m a willing party to be used.” He grinned. “Just owe me a coffee once in a while.”

Minhee laughed. “Is that a hint? No problem sir, I’ll make one now.” Kai tugged on her hair with a teasing smile. “Good girl Minhee.”

Minhee was aware of the stupid smile on her face as she approached the pantry, but it was quite difficult to keep a straight face. The past Minhee might have misunderstood all this as flirting, but the new Minhee knew better.

Since she was absolutely aware of her lack of charm, there was no way a hot bachelor like Kai would be flirting with her. The only fact that he was talking to her was because he felt nothing for her. That had to be it.

It was nice having a hot, attractive guy as a friend. All Minhee had to do was not to get too serious and everything would be fine.

Her phone vibrated then and she peeked at the new message.

She couldn’t help but laugh when she saw it was from “Hot Printer Repair Guy.”

[14:07, 14/03/14] Hot Printer Repair Guy: Two cubes of sugars please~

[14:07, 14/03/14] Hot Printer Repair Guy: By the way, cute LINE display pic. No couple picture with your boyfriend?

Minhee quickly typed a message back.

[14:08, 14/03/14] You: Nope no boyfriend!

[14:09, 14/03/14]  Hot Printer Repair Guy: Aye liar!

 Minhee tucked her phone back into her pocket. No point explaining her single status too much,

 

-----

 

“You’re going out with Kai again?” Bona brightened with a smile. “Aww you sure there isn’t anything going on between the two of you?”

Minhee checked her appearance in the mirror and readjusted her ponytail. Recently, Kai and her had been meeting even after work hours. He found out that they actually lived quite near to each other and thus, quite frequently asked her out to eat dinner, go grocery shopping or cafe hopping together. He even drove her to work everyday.

Minhee had to admit she quite enjoyed his company and sometimes dreamed to herself that they were dating. It was quite a nice feeling.

However she knew better because she learnt her lesson from the past 25 years, and that was to not put any hope on anything love-related. It was bound for failure anyways.

She didn’t bother dressing up when she went to meet him, and he didn’t either. They often hung out in T-shirts and sweats, and she didn’t put on any makeup either.

It was quite a comfortable companionship which further strengthened Minhee’s belief that there was absolutely nothing going on between them. If he even felt slightly attracted to her, he would be conscious about how he dressed and looked around her right?

Minhee explained her thoughts to Bona who pouted and tapped her chin. “I don’t see why that’s a reason. People express affection in different ways, and maybe he wants to show you the most natural side to him. Everyone can see the suited up, formal Kai, but not everyone can get a change to hang out with the Kai in slacks and tees.”

Minhee just shrugged, not wanting to hear anymore. If it gave her even a slight bit of hope, she was doomed to heartbreak. It was inevitable, considering what a good catch Kai was and what an unwanted piece of good she was.

“Are you going to be okay at home, alone?” Minhee peered at Bona, who had actually visited her apartment out of boredom, only to find out that the former already had plans.

Bona gave thumbs up. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry!” she shook her head. “It’s my fault for coming over without asking if you were free. You don’t mind me hanging out here do you?”

“Of course not.” Minhee smiled warmly. “But isn’t Chanyoung free? I thought you two were inseparable.” She raised her brows.

Sighing loudly, Bona flopped herself on Minhee’s bed. “I thought so too, but recently, Yoon Chanyoung has been out so much we hardly spend time together.” Uh-oh, the sign of Chanyoung’s full name was a sign of some grievance building up. “After work as well, he keeps on telling me that he is going drinking with the guys. When I ask him who are the guys, he doesn’t tell me.” She huffed.

She looked at Minhee worriedly. “Do you think he’s cheating?”

“It’s Yoon Chanyoung we’re talking about, the responsible class monitor remember?” Minhee assured. “You two have been together for quite 8 years, so trust him a little.” She looked back at her best friend. “Are you sure you’re okay about me leaving? I don’t mind staying home for some best friend times.” She offered.

“It’s totally fine.” Bona shook her head. “It’s not often that you go dating with a hot, single bachelor. Go on, shoo, he’ll be waiting!”

Minhee opened to protest. “It’s not a date-“

“That’s what I said when I first asked Chanyoung to coach me on math.” Bona grinned knowingly. “Look how we turned out. Shoo, go. Just remember to buy ice cream back k?”

The door slammed in Minhee’s face and she let out a breath of half-disbelief and half-amusement. Bona ah Bona...

 

-----

 

“You’re late!” Kai pouted. “I waited so long.”

“Sorry!” Minhee scrambled to him and plopped herself on the seat next to him. It was quite amusing to watch the all great Kim Jong In using aegyo sometimes. He was an accomplished businessman at his age, leading a team of twelve with most of his colleagues even younger than him, and he often gave off a y and serious vibe.

The strange thing was, aegyo worked with Kim Jong In. It seemed anything would work with him, actually.

“You treat me ice cream.” Kai sulked. “Bad Minhee.”

Minhee laughed and stood up once more to buy them some desert. “Alright kiddo.” She grabbed her wallet, but Kai’s hand shot to grab hers. The contact made her heart skip dangerously and she blinked.

“I was kidding.” Kai shook his head, chuckling. “I’ll buy you ice cream. Some guys may let girls treat them but I’m not one of them okay?” he ruffled her hair and made her sit back down.

Minhee smiled and watched his charming back as he ordered from a pretty cashier who looked absolutely charmed. Who could blame the cashier really.

Her hand came to rest at her heart and she took a deep breath. “Don’t ruin this precious friendship for me, heart. Whatever you do, do not fall for Kim Jong In. Anyone else but him.” She whispered.

She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. These days, there were moments of realization when Minhee felt just how attractive Kai was. Simple things like watching behind his broad back, him opening the door for her and flashing a smile, and driving her home while insisting to watch her walk to her door before he drove off...it made her heart skip.

Minhee’s heart wasn’t supposed to skip for anyone, she had sworn to herself that she wouldn’t even show interest in any single person for the rest of her life. Kai was nice to her, yes, but he was nice to everyone. She was sure that he treated other girls the same way and she was no exception.

She had once thought guys were flirting with her, like Choi seunghyun back in university, but it turned out to be just friendliness. She was so inexperienced that she couldn’t tell one from another.

Hence, the only safe thing to do was to just categorize everything as friendliness. No one wanted to flirt with her, period.

“Yah, you fell asleep already?”

Minhee opened her eyes to find Kai’s face just directly in front of hers. His eyes wrinkled as he gave her a cute, lopsided smile and pinched her cheek. “Don’t sleep so early, I don’t wanna have to piggyback you home.” He joked.

Minhee smacked his hands away and avoided his eyes. Well, that sort of friendliness might have been mistaken as flirting in the past, but she wasn’t so stupid now. Calm down, heart.

“Woah banana split!” Minhee clapped her hands as her eyes fell on the desert Kai bought. She also noticed how he got one large ice cream and two spoons, instead of two separate bowls for them both, which was what she would have done.

“Don’t mind sharing right?” Kai offered her a spoon. Minhee took it and ate a huge spoonful of ice cream, in satisfaction. Kai watched and smiled to himself in amusement. Cute.

“So explain yourself. Why were you late?” Kai tapped on her nose, giving her a pout once more. Minhee swallowed her ice cream and took a gulp of water. “My best friend came to visit. Bona, remember? I think I mentioned her before.”

“Yeah, the whiny one.” Kai remembered once when Bona phoned Minhee at work and he could even hear Bona’s high pitched voice through the speakers.

Minhee made a face. “Anyway yup, she came to visit because her boyfriend was busy with something else again.” She took another scoop of ice cream. “She complains that he might be cheating, but I think that’s highly impossible. They’re made for each other, they’ve been together for 8 years you know.”

“Hmm.” Kai twisted his lip. He eyed her from the corner of his eye and contemplated silently. How to approach the topic?

“So they were together since they were 17?” Kai murmured. “That’s very long.” He took a deep breath. “So how about you? Any secret boyfriend of 8 years you have, hidden somewhere?” He focused on the ice cream but his ear twitched, yearning for the answer.

“Nope.” Minhee didn’t look at him, just concentrating on the ice cream. He didn’t know what that meant. Was that a no, for no boyfriend of 8 years, or no for no boyfriend currently? Or maybe there was even a guy in her life right now but they just weren’t officially together yet so not considered her boyfriend.

Damn, he wasn’t any clearer about her relationship status than he was five minutes ago.

Kai took a deep breath. Asking a second question about her relationship status would seem a little suspicious, but he was dying to know. Was she attached or not?

From his observation, he always assumed she had a boyfriend. She was not at all interested in any of the guys in the office, not just him, which was amazing because the Finance department had an excellent selection of 12 hot, Exo boys.

Also, she didn’t seem to be looking for a relationship.

A girl like her couldn’t be single for long, he thought. Many guys would have wanted to woo her, because in his opinion, she was really quite cute. Very cute.

He HAD to know. He didn’t think he could sleep if that question wasn’t answered, really. He opened his mouth. “Minhee ah, actually-“

And her darn phone rang.

“Sorry! Let me pick this up.” She gave him an apologetic smile and answered the call. Kai eyed her phone and secretly willed it to hang up. “Chanyoung? Yeah what’s up?”

Chanyoung? Was that a guy or a girl? Kai frowned and tapped his finger on the table impatiently. Why was she answering another guy’s call when she was on a date with him hmm?

He backtracked, okay, so it wasn’t a date. They were just out as platonic colleague-turned-friends. But still!

“No problem, sure. Bye!” Minhee hung up after two minutes and returned her attention back to the ice cream. Kai poked at the desert and eyed her. “So...who was that?”

“Hmm Chanyoung.” Minhee answered distractedly, obviously pondering on the conversation she had on the phone.

“Is that a guy or girl’s name, haha.” He laughed awkwardly, waiting for her answer. Girl. Girl. Girl, he chanted.

“He’s a guy.” Minhee murmured, tapping her chin. She frowned to herself and mumbled incoherently, scratching her head.

Kai’s frown grew deeper and he leaned closer to her. “Is he your boyfriend?” he half-whispered, almost afraid to learn her answer.

Minhee folded her arms in front of her chest and sighed. “Why doesn’t he want her to know about it?” she whispered. “Hmm...”

Kai gaped as she completely ignored his question, oblivious to his melting nerves. He could even see the words carved on his tombstone: Kim Jong In. Died of curiosity.

“Yah.” Kai finally nudged her and Minhee snapped out of her zone. “Oh yeah? You were saying?” she blushed embarrassedly. Kai softened at her adorable expression and sighed. “Nevermind.” He shook his head.

He could ask her another day.

 

-----

 

“So...” Xiumin tried to peer at Kai’s laptop screen after passing the latter his report. Kai had been furiously typing away at his computer ever since Xiumin entered his office. “Privately emailing Minhee sshi?”

Kai grunted. “Yeah, she takes such a long time to reply.” He muttered, frowning. “Always making me wait.”

Xiumin bit back a chuckle. “Wellll I suppose, since she’s probably working diligently. Unlike you.”

Kai stopped typing and blinked, realizing what he just admitted. He cleared his throat and closed the pm box on his computer, straightening himself. “It’s just...once in a while that I do this.” He clarified.

“Yeah yeah.” Xiumin humoured. “So, a bunch of us guys were talking about it the other day actually.” He moved to sit on Kai’s desk. “You and Minhee sshi seem quite close recently huh.”

“Yeah.” Kai shrugged, clearing his throat AGAIN, and avoiding all eye contact. “Because we stay near each other and stuff, and she’s the contact point between our department and the marketing department. You know that.”

“Yes, but we also know that you don’t get so close to a female colleague usually.” Xiumin wriggled his brows. “Not at all. And don’t deny you two meeting during after work hours, because I saw you two at the new Chinese restaurant down the block just last weekend. Tell me, are you two dating?”

“No.” Kai answered, relieved that he could say this without lying.

Xiumin raised a brow. “Not yet, you mean. And do you like her?”

Kai opened his mouth, blinked, and closed it again. He cleared his throat for the third time and forced a look of disapproval on his face. “Does that matter?”

“Which also means you do.” Xiumin grinned triumphantly. “I knew it. I am quite surprised, to tell you the truth. Other prettier girls have expressed their interest before, and you chose this plain jane.”

“She’s not a plain jane.” Kai frowned, offended. “She has a unique set of charms which you obviously can’t see and-”

“Since you like her so much, what are you waiting for?” Xiumin laughed at Kai’s  agitated expression. “Instead of sitting around in the office, looking like you’re having constipation.”

Kai gave him a look. “I don’t know if she has a boyfriend or not.” He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair irritably. “And she doesn’t seem to think of me that way. I don’t want to make any moves on a girl when she already has a boyfriend, that’s just wrong.”

Xiumin pointed at the company phone on Kai’s desk. “What’s the problem here? Just ask Suho hyung right? Don’t forget his girlfriend Subin knows EVERYTHING about EVERYONE in the office. She would know if Minhee has a boyfriend or not.”

Kai contemplated for a few before grabbing it with enthusiasm. He dialled Suho’s desk number, and the said guy answered within a ring. “Yes boss?”

“Anyone around you now?” Kai asked urgently.

“Uhhh no?” Suho sounded puzzled. “I’m just at my cubicle.”

“Great.” Kai sighed. “Okay for my next questions, don’t judge me, don’t laugh, and answer quietly so no one else around you can hear okay?” he warned. Xiumin chortled with laughter while Kai shot the bun a death glare.

“Uhhh okay?” Suho sounded even more confused. “What? Was there something wrong in the quarter-end financial report?”

“No.” Kai barked. “Just answer me. Has Subin ever told you...erm..about...you know..” he coughed embarrassedly. “AboutwhetherMinheehasaboyfriend?”

“Say that again?” Suho sounded annoyed. “You think you’re a rapper, Kai? I couldn’t catch a single thing!”

Kai massaged his head. “Okay okay. I meant...has Subin ever told you about whether Minhee has a boyfriend.”

“Minhee?” Suho squeaked.

“Yes.” Kai tapped his fingers urgently. “And not so loud.”

“Lee Minhee? From the Marketing Department?” Suho repeated, his voice even higher than before.

Kai squeezed his fists shut. Was it that hard to get an answer to that question, really? “YES. LEE MINHEE FROM THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT.” He boomed. “I LIKE HER OKAY? SO TELL ME, DO YOU KNOW IF SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND?”

Xiumin burst into uncontrollable laughter and pounded his fists against the wall. “And you were the one who told him to keep it down!” he wiped his tears away. “HAHAHA!”

Suho seemed to be facing the same situation from the other end of the line but he managed to croak a reply. “I think Subin mentioned that Minhee said she didn’t have a boyfriend but I’m not too sure. That news was back when Minhee just joined the company, which was already 3 months ago.”

Kai brightened. Well, there was hope wasn’t there?

“Anyway,” Suho laughed loudly. “So you were saying? Someone has a crush on-”

Kai quickly hung up the phone. Heh.

 

-----

 

Feeling more confident that evening, Kai made his way the other end of the office level where the Marketing Department was located. He caught Minhee just packing up her things, preparing to leave for the day.

“Hey.” He beamed at her, feeling happy enough to start dancing. The other girls in the team watched Minhee enviously and chattered amongst themselves.

“Hey Jong In.” Minhee gave him a cheerful smile that Kai absolutely loved. Another thing he liked was how she called his name. He always disliked his Korean name, which was the reason why he usually went by his English name, but when Minhee called him that, it sounded intimate and made him feel all fuzzy and warm inside.

“So I was thinking,” Kai scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Want to go for dinner tonight? There’s this new French restaurant I heard that’s not bad and-”

Minhee cringed. “I’m so so sorry Jong In! I already have dinner planned tonight!” she sighed apologetically. “Another day?”

Kai blinked, trying not to look too disappointed. “Ah, no problem. Another day. Do you need me to drive you somewhere or?”

“It’s okay, Jong In!” Minhee beamed. “My friend is already downstairs waiting! Thanks for the offer though.”

“Ah..” Kai rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll walk you down then.” Talk about disappointment. He caught Subin sniggering when he passed and he pretended not to notice. That Queen of Gossip.

They entered the elevator and Kai twisted his lip wistfully. “So where are you headed?”

“Hmm this restaurant called Saveur at the mall I think.” Minhee blinked, trying to remember. Kai’s face darkened. “The French restaurant? That’s where I wanted to take you tonight actually.” He grumbled.

“We can go there another time!” Minhee promised. The elevator dinged open and they shuffled out with the rest of the crowd. “Oh? He’s here.” Minhee noticed. “Chanyoung ah!” she waved.

Chan. Young?

Kai’s eyes narrowed at the said guy as he jogged over to them. Scanning him from head to toe, Kai wanted to scoff out loud. Besides height, Kai didn’t think this Chanyoung was better than him in any other aspect. Who the hell was this stupid guy who appeared out of nowhere, taking his girl to the restaurant he wanted to take her?!

“Hey Minhee. Thanks for agreeing to dinner. My car is parked there, shall we?” the Chanyoung cocked his head with a smile.

Minhee turned to Kai. “We’ll go to the French restaurant another time okay? I promise. Bye Jong In!” she waved and followed after Chanyoung.

“Bye.” Kai muttered under his breath. Stupid. STUPID.

Kai sighed and trudged to the carpark, his footsteps heavy. He noted that Minhee had labelled this Chanyoung guy a “friend” and he felt slightly assured about it. But still.

Damn, after realizing his feelings for her, he was starting to get more and more childish.

Kai sighed and closed his eyes. Lee Minhee...

 

-----

 

“You want to propose to Bona?” Minhee gasped.

Chanyoung blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “What’s with the surprise? I thought you were the one who always said we would get married.”

Minhee grinned widely. “Yeah, just didn’t expect it coming so quickly. Congratulations! I can’t wait for your wedding!” she squealed excitedly.

Chanyoung laughed. “She hasn’t said yes yet, you know.”

“She will.” Minhee nodded confidently. She eyed Chanyoung with a small smile. “So...you want my help for the proposal? I will volunteer my services however you want, Mr Yoon!” she saluted.

“I’m glad, because the following request might sound a little weird.” Chanyoung bit his lip.

“It’s for your proposal, Chanyoung! Of course I’ll do it for Bona and you!” Minhee assured.

“You see, in my proposal plan...you’re actually a huge component in it. A VERY LARGE component actually.” Chanyoung hesitated. “And the thing is, in my plan, we would require the services of this Hot Printer Repair Guy I’ve been hearing about as well.”

Minhee’s eyes widened. “Jong In?”

“Yeah.” Chanyoung nodded. “I’ve been hearing Bona yapping about this Kai person and you for the longest time and I need him in this plan.” Minhee fidgeted. Well, that wasn’t what she expected.

“So would you please please help to enlist his help for me?” Chanyoung pleaded. “Please?”

Minhee hesitated. She was sure Kai would be alright with it, he was very sporting in that sense. It was just herself she was concerned about. Bringing Kai into the plans of the wedding proposal for her best friend was more intimate and closer to the heart. It was bringing him nearer and making her heart more vulnerable.

She was sure if she could take it especially with the recent attraction she felt with him.

“For Bona, please?” Chanyoung probed. “Bona? Your best friend?”

Minhee softened and sighed. “Oh alright! I’ll get him to help. So what’s this elaborate plan you have going on?”

Chanyoung clapped his hands in glee. “Thank you thank you thank you!” he beamed. “Well it’s not very elaborate, but you see...”

 

-----

 

“Do you have a favour to ask of me, because this is very weird.” Kai eyed Minhee suspiciously. “First, you bring me homemade cupcakes. Then for the first time, you answered all my incessant emails immediately, not making me wait an hour for a one word reply.”

“Oh, so you do know your emails are incessant!” Minhee raised her brows teasingly.

Kai ignored her comment. “And now, you’re bringing me to a restaurant. You, initiating dinner. For the first time. This is all very new.” He grinned at her and crossed both arms around his shoulders. “Lee Minhee, are you hitting on me?” he fake-gasped.

“Continue that and I’m not going to treat you to dinner.” Minhee warned. “You pay for your own share.” She wagged her finger.

Kai chuckled and pretended to zip his mouth, throwing away the key. Minhee burst into giggles, which Kai gazed upon affectionately. “I have no idea why Tao is so afraid of you when you’re so goofy like this.” She joked, leading him into the restaurant.

Maybe because I’m only like this around you? Kai thought internally.

He rushed to catch up with her when he noticed where she was headed towards. Right smack in the middle of the entire restaurant was a familiar face, a face that Kai didn’t want to see again.

“You didn’t tell me we were having another guest with us tonight.” Kai grumbled, knowing that he sounded fully like a kid but didn’t care. Why the hell was that Chanyoung guy here to spoil his night with Minhee? Didn’t that guy have anything else to do?

“Don’t be mad okay? You’ll know why in a while.” Minhee touched his arm and pulled him to the table. Kai grunted, making a big show of sitting down and arranging his napkin on his lap for a long time before finally being satisfied with how it looked.

“So uhm,” Minhee bit her lip, slightly embarrassed by Kai’s childish tantrums. “Jong In, this is Chanyoung. Chanyoung, this is the Kai you knew about.”

“Nice to meet you Kai.” Chanyoung held out his hand. Kai gave another rough grunt and shook his hand once.

Chanyoung seemed equally awkward at how unfriendly and hostile Kai was being. However, being the responsible ex-class monitor, he remained at cool composure. “Shall we order the food first?”

Another grunt.

Minhee sighed to herself. It was going to be a long long night.

--

After finishing their main courses, the trio were browsing the menu once more, this time for desert. Time had passed painfully slow because all conversation seemed to stop at the table.

Whenever Chanyoung or Minhee tried to make Kai talk, he either gave a one word reply or an animalistic grunt. The finance team leader seemed to have lost all his ability to speak.

Kai knew he was being childish and incredibly rude but he couldn’t stand it. Was this a session of introducing a friend to a boyfriend? Because if Minhee’s involved, unless he was the boyfriend in question, he might as well not be there.

It was apparent as well, how well Chanyoung and Minhee knew each other. Chanyoung even knew about Minhee’s dislike for carrots which Kai had no idea about.

“So uh, to get to the point, Kai sshi.” Chanyoung finally spoke up after a 10 minute long silence. “There’s actually a favour I need of you.”

“What.” Kai snapped. Favour? And now this pale skinny dude was actually asking for a favour? The guts..

“I’m going to propose to my girlfriend.” Chanyoung suddenly said. “And I need your help. Both yours and Minhee’s. Please?”

Kai stopped in mid-thought and blinked. “Girl...friend?”

Minhee nodded, touching Kai’s arm sub-consciously. “Yeah, you remember my best friend Bona right? Chanyoung here is her boyfriend and he’s finally thinking about proposing to her. He needs both our help so do you think it’s okay? Please?” she pleaded.

Chanyoung was...Bona’s boyfriend? Not a love rival?

It was really strange but even though they were in an enclosed restaurant, Kai could have sworn he saw rainbows all around.

“I know it might be rude of me to request of such a big favour when we only just met,” Chanyoung continued. “But I really hope that-”

“NO PROBLEM AT ALL.” Kai suddenly perked up and flashed a wide smile. Both Chanyoung and Minhee faltered in confusion at his 180 degree change in attitude. “It was me that was rude just now, so sorry about it. Don’t worry about the proposal, Minhee and I will do our best to help!”

He beamed. “Right, Minhee?”

She scratched her head in confusion. “Uh.. yeah. I guess if it’s alright with you...”

“It’s more than alright!” Kai assured confidently. “There was just some misunderstanding but now that it’s all cleared up...Let me get the bill to this meal okay? A congratulatory meal for your upcoming wedding!”

Chanyoung’s eyes widened. “that wouldn’t be necessary Kai-sshi.”

“Nonsense!” Kai waved the waiter over. “Can I have one of each of these deserts here?” he pointed. “Charge to my card please.”

“One of each?” Minhee gaped. “Jong In, we can’t eat that much!”

“You can bring some home for Bona or something. Anyway, an upcoming wedding is a happy occasion right?” Kai beamed. Talk about tempermental.

The deserts filled the entire table but Kai seemed to form a brand new appetite once he found out that Chanyoung was actually Bona’s boyfriend, and he chomped them down enthusiastically. There were some wedding talks and Minhee brought up the topic of bridesmaids.

“I can’t wait to be Bona’s bridesmaid.” She sighed happily. “She’s going to be the prettiest bride ever, and this would be the most significant wedding I’ve attended.”

Chanyoung hesitated at this and he looked at her doubtfully. “You sure you want to? They always say, three times a bridesmaid, never a bride. You’ve already been a bridesmaid twice now.”

Minhee laughed. “You really believe that, Chanyoung? Anyway, it’s not like I’m going to get married regardless or whether I’m a bridesmaid or not. It doesn’t matter. It’s Bona’s wedding, I definitely want to be a part of it.”

Kai blinked as his gaze darted between the two. “Why aren’t you getting married?” he raised his brows at Minhee. “Are you anti-marriage or something?”

“Nope, I’d love to get married.” Minhee stabbed her cake and munched on it. “But see, I’m missing the most important ingredient to a wedding.”

“What?” Kai leaned forward. Funds? Parents approval?

“The groom.” Minhee shrugged.

The groom? Kai was confused. Did she experience a bad breakup or did her fiancé run away before the wedding or something?

“Minhee here, believes that she will never get married because no one wants her.” Chanyoung explained to the confused Kai. “In her words, ‘I have resigned to my fate of a spinster.’ Didn’t you say that before?”

Kai turned to Minhee in astonishment. What??

“It is true that I am unattractive and have no luck in my love life, so isn’t it better if I am not delusional about it?” Minhee shrugged. “Anyway I’m over it.”

Kai shook his head in disbelief. How could she think that of herself? Where was that confident Lee Minhee he saw in boardroom meetings, giving presentations for her marketing proposals? That Lee Minhee had absolutely no self-esteem about herself.

“That can’t be true.” Kai muttered.

“That’s what I tell her, but she doesn’t believe me either.” Chanyoung sighed. “Why don’t you try persuading her.”

Minhee shook her head. “Nope.” She looked at Kai and smiled bitterly. “Did you know? Throughout my 25 years of life, I have not once received a confession from anyone. I have not experienced what it is like to be wooed, what it is like to be the object of affection by someone of the opposite .”

She sighed and sipped her champagne. “I know what you’re going to say. That the guys that liked me were too shy to make a move?” she laughed. “That’s one way of saying they don’t like you enough to do something about it right?”

Looking straight in Kai’s eyes, Minhee softly whispered. “I appreciate your trying to persuade me otherwise, but I’m the party involved, I know best. I guess I just have no charm whatsoever. But it’s really okay, I’m fine with being alone.”

But I’m not, Kai wanted to say. The other guys don’t appreciate you, but I do.

Kai glanced over at Chanyoung and kept the words to himself. This wasn’t the time and place.

He remembered Xiumin calling Minhee a plain jane and he felt the anger rise up within him once again. Was everyone blind? He could imagine a girl’s frail self-esteem being crushed throughout her teenage years and her twenties as everyone around her got in and out of relationships.

Twenty five was really quite late to not have had a boyfriend before.

No matter, if no one would appreciate her, he would.

 

 

-----

 

 

“WE HAVE TO GO!” Bona squealed and tugged on Chanyoung’s arm. “Pretty please? Please Chanyoung?”

Chanyoung bit back a smile at his girlfriend’s aegyo. Even after so many years, he still fell for her smile every once in a while. “It’s called stalking, Bona. I don’t think Minhee would want us following her around if Kai and her were going on a date.”

“BUT!” Bona pouted. “It’s Minhee. PLEASE YOON CHANYOUNG?” she hugged his arm and gave him her signature pouty look. There was absolutely no way he could resist that, seriously.

“Alright alright. Get ready, we go in 5 minutes.” Chanyoung pretended to look reluctant. Bona let out a squeal and rushed around the house to get her suitable “stalking” attire. “You’re the best Chanyoung!”

He grinned and texted Minhee. Project Proposal, first step to success!

 

 

“Are they following behind us?” Minhee whispered, not daring to risk a glance. Kai pretended to adjust her bangs and snuck a glance behind. “Your best friend is dressed up like Mother Theresa.” He chuckled. “And hiding behind a street lamp.”

Minhee burst into giggles. “That’s so Bona!”

Kai checked the schedule that Chanyoung sent and pointed at the rustic bookstore at the end of the street. “It’s here right? Come on.” He tugged Minhee into the store.

They found the corner of the bookstore which Chanyoung described and plopped themselves on the ground, grabbing a book and reading it together.

After ten seconds, they heard a loud gasp in the shelf behind them and the sound of a book dropping. Minhee burrowed her face into Kai’s shoulder to stifle her laughter. If there was one occupation not suitable for Bona, it would definitely be a spy.

Just then, Kai pushed her off his shoulder and Minhee instantly stiffened. She didn’t even realize she had leaned against him and she instantly felt shamed and embarrassed, hanging her head low so that her hair could cover her face.

Before she knew what was happening however, Kai’s arm had already slipped around her shoulders and she was pulled to his side even more snugly than before. Minhee blinked up at him with wide eyes and saw Kai’s lips twitching to hide a smile.

“What are you doing? Read the book.” He whispered into her hair. Minhee could feel her heart racing madly and it took everything for her to just pretend to continue reading. She couldn’t even remember what book they chose.

“Finished? Can I turn the page?” Kai murmured softly. “Hmm yeah.” Minhee just nodded, the words floating about in her eyes. Little did she know, the same thing was happening to Kai.

Both of them pretended to read when both of them weren’t, just soaking up the opportunity they had to be so close to each other. Minhee’s phone vibrated with a new message from Chanyoung and she reluctantly pulled herself away from his side. “Change of location.”

Kai nodded, his arm lingering around her. “Next destination.”

 

 

 

The two of them literally had a tour around Seoul, really.

From the bookstore where Bona and Chanyoung first had their first study session, to the cafe where  they had their first official date, to the Han River where Chanyoung finally asked Bona to be his girlfriend.

Bona didn’t realize it, but they were actually walking the entire history of Chanyoung and her love story. Kai and Minhee were just the actors for it.

Although, the actors were quite enjoying their date to be honest.

Kai had the chance to get closer and more affectionate to Minhee under the pretence of this faux-date-proposal-plan, and boy did he like it. Minhee on the other hand experienced what it was like to go on a date for the first time and she constantly felt like she was about to melt into a puddle of happiness.

They were down to the final destination of the day: the lovers’ bridge.

Chanyoung had obviously gone through great lengths for the proposal, because the entire area was decorated with white and pink balloons, with a great many rose petals scattered on the floor.

The two actors hid themselves behind the pillar, waiting for the two main leads. Bona, who was still into her stalking role, tiptoed over with a scarf over her head and sunglasses on her face despite it being late at night. She stopped in mid-stride when she realized how the venue was beautifully decorated, and it was only then that she realized something was up.

“C-Chanyoung?” she turned around, but didn’t see him. “Yoon Chanyoung? Did you..did you do this? Where’s Minhee and Kai?”

Suddenly, a string quartet made their way from their hiding places and began playing a beautiful romantic melody. Bona took off her sunglasses and scarf, belatedly realizing that the main lead of the day wasn’t Minhee but her.

Chanyoung appeared from amidst the quartet, wearing a suave suit and carrying a stalk of rose. He reached her side, passing the rose to her. “For you, my lady?”

Bona took it from him, her eyes shimmering with tears that were yet to fall. “Yoon Chanyoung..”

“Did you realize something was up today?” Chanyoung chuckled at his blur girlfriend. He took out a map from his pocket and pointed to the different destinations they visited while “stalking.”

“And that’s where we had our first kiss!” Bona sniffed and turned to her boyfriend with red eyes. “Chanyoung ahhh..”

He wiped her cheek with her thumb and showed her the map once more. “Notice anything about the shape of our stalking trail today?” he prompted.

Bona squinted at the map through her tears and her eyes widened. “It’s a heart!” she gasped in surprise. Beautiful planning, really.

“Yup. Every single stop where Kai and Minhee went to today was a certain significant place for our love story, and all that represents my love for you.” His finger trailed the heart on the map. “So do you know why the lovers’ bridge is special to us?”

Bona shook her head, sniffing. “We’ve never visited because you said it was a waste of time.”

Chanyoung laughed and caressed her cheek. “Silly girl, nothing is a waste of time if it’s for you.” He reached into his pocket and got out a small black velvet box. Bona’s eyes widened, she saw that box a hundred times in Korean dramas.

He got down on one knee. “The lover’s bridge is special to us because this is where I asked you to be my wife.” Bona broke down into sobs. “So Lee Bona, will you marry me?”

Bona flew towards him and attacked him to the ground with a big hug. “YES YES YES!!!” She hit his arm multiple times. “Why are you so sweet, you’re making me cry. How do I take photos like this?”

Chanyoung pecked her lips and laughed. “My Bona looks pretty no matter if she’s crying or not.”

The two hugged each other in the middle of lovers’ bridge, preparing to live the rest of their lives together. Meanwhile, Minhee was furiously snapping as many pictures as possible with her Samsung from their hiding place.

Kai flicked her forehead. “You can’t see anything from here, and besides, Chanyoung also hired a professional photographer.”

“I’m just sooo happy!” Minhee bit her lip to contain her excitement. “I watched them from the beginning you know, it’s so so exciting!”

Kai reached for her hand and laced their fingers together. “Yeah? It’s time for your own excitement now.” He murmured to himself. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Minhee’s face fell. “But I want to congratulate them!”

Kai quirked his brows. “Look at how they’re inseparably hugged right now, do you want to disturb them? It’s their special night, let them enjoy it. Come on, I’ll drive you home.” He pulled her along. Minhee fell in step with him, instinctively snuggling up his side in the cold night weather.

 She hummed a happy tune and beamed up at him. “I’m really happy.”

He tweaked her nose affectionately. “I know.”

 

 

 

-----

 

 

 

“Thanks for today.” Minhee waved. “Even if it was all an act for Chanyoung’s proposal, I really had a great time too.”

Kai nodded. “Me too. Go on in, it’s been a long day.” He gestured for her to go in. Minhee nodded and finally went into her home. Kai waved. “Goodnight.” He turned to go.

Minhee sighed softly and closed her front door behind her. He always managed to make her heart skip. Now how was she supposed to fall asleep?

She was so so grateful to have met Kai in her life. She knew now that there was no turning back and no amount of denial was ever going to work. She was in love with him.

And for the first time, Minhee totally didn’t mind getting hurt. She only wished that she could continue harbouring her secret feelings for him for the rest of her life, and that was it. She would be happy.

Kai had played such an important role in such a significant life event for both Bona and her and she was eternally grateful. And not to mention, it was the first time she ever had the chance to experience what a date felt like.

A date with Kim Jong In could melt her insides.

She sighed dreamily and giggled to herself as the image of them holding hands earlier in the day floated up her mind. Now, she was certain she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at night.

Her phone suddenly vibrated, snapping her out of her daydreams.

[21:37, 2/5/14] The Hot Printer Guy: Hey, check your bag.

Hmm? Minhee blinked at his message. She strode over to her living room and peered into the bag she had carried around earlier in the day. Her eyes widened when she noticed a little pink envelope which most definitely didn’t belong to her, tucked away in one of the compartments.

“To, Lee Minhee. From, Kim Jong In.” She read, a small smile lighting her features. “What is this boy up to now?”

She gingerly took out the paper in the envelope and was surprised to find a long, hand-written message in the messy handwriting that was endearingly Kai’s.

Dear Minhee,

Surprised? Don’t nod your head, because didn’t you know Kim Jong In is able of many things?

Before you phone me to ask what’s this all about, please read to the end of this letter. I’m really good at writing reports and proposals, but writing heart-felt letters? Not really.

I’ve only ever had two girlfriends in my entire 26 years of my life, one in high school, one during university. All of them just a story of my past.

Imagine my horror when I found out that you, Lee Min Hee, never had a boyfriend. Ever.

To be completely honest, I really thought you were lying when you told me about it. However I saw the unshed tears in your eyes and then I knew, I knew the unspoken pain you had been dealing with the entire time.

And that’s why I’m here with reasons why having no boyfriend shouldn’t bother you.

The first time I ever set my eyes on you wasn’t during the lunch time on your first day, actually. I had seen you talking to yourself on the side of the road and very obviously cheering yourself on, before marching with much enthusiasm to work.

It was very cute, don’t worry.

And then I was surprised to see you at work, and I wanted to know you better. I don’t have many female friends, as you can tell, but when I saw you, I  decided that you were one girl I could afford getting close to.

You were straightforward, honest, and most importantly, you didn’t seem self-conscious about how you looked or acted at all. And that was what drew me to you.

Believe me, I really only wanted to be friends in the beginning.

However as time passed and I saved you from the evil claws of the office printer (I was suave that day wasn’t I), I began to realize that you were becoming more and more important to me than I would have liked.

Did you know that when I drove you home, I always waited till I saw the lights on your apartment turn on before I left? I bet you had no idea. It is quite creepy, I’ll admit that.

The more I knew you, the more I wanted to know. The more time I wanted to spend with you. The more memories I wanted to share.

Those guys that had the fortune of knowing you in their lives? They were stupid. Too stupid to have let such a gem pass their eyes. You know why those guys didn’t have enough sense to fall for you? Because they didn’t know you. They didn’t take the time and effort to know more about Lee Minhee.

Because if they did, I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be falling heads over heels with you.

Yes, Lee Minhee, I’m in love with you.

I know you have always believed that you have no charm whatsoever, but you’re utterly wrong. If you had no charm, you wouldn’t be on my mind 24/7 that I’ve actually stalked your facebook and SNS profile quite a few times. There isn’t something I especially like about you, because I love every single thing.

I love how when you start working, you forget about every single other thing around you. I love when you eat, you just slurp everything up without a care for your image. I love when you see something you like, your entire face lights up.

I’d bash those guys who didn’t know how to appreciate you, but I’d actually thank them instead. If not for them, you wouldn’t be single and available and then I wouldn’t even stand a chance.

So if you were wondering, yes, this is a letter of confession.

I’ve only ever had 2 girlfriends in my entire 26 years of my life, and I sincerely wish that in the near future, you can be my third.

And if you were wondering again, if I’m asking you to be my girlfriend, the answer is no. Not yet.

This letter is here to notify  you, Lee Minhee, to brace yourself for the upcoming weeks. Because Kim Jong In is going to give you the courtship of your life.

Love,
Your hot printer reparing, future-boyfriend.

 

Minhee was crying by the time she finished the letter. It wasn’t very well written, or very poetic, but it was the best letter in the fact that it was written from Kai’s heart and he meant it.

And he loved her.

Minhee couldn’t believe it as she scanned that sentence again. Yes, she got it right. He loved her. HOLY .

She quickly grabbed her sweater and ran towards the door, hoping that he hadn’t left. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, so many things she wanted to say.

She stumbled back in shock when she flung the door open, because there he was, standing in front of it with his eyes closed. He slowly let out a long breath when he heard her coming, and opened his eyes slowly.

“You took such a long time reading!” Kai pretended to complain, but anyone could tell he was happy and relieved to see her rushing to catch after him. “I’ve been waiting here for so long and it’s not exactly warm out here and-“

“Thank you.” Minhee dived into his arms and buried her face in his chest. “Thank you for the letter. Thank you so so so much.”

Kai softened and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. “There’s nothing to thank, it’s just my true feelings.” He caressed her shoulders. “Are you crying?” he belatedly realized.

Minhee sniffed. “It’s just...I...I...” she stumbled over her words. “Jong In ah, actually I-” she wanted to scream it out loud. She loved him, loved loved loved.

“Stop.” Kai put a finger on her lips. “I didn’t ask you to be my girlfriend yet right?” he quirked a smile. “So don’t answer me until I pop the question. Just brace yourself for tomorrow alright?” he flicked her forehead.

Minhee’s eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”

“Just wait, babo.” Kai chuckled. “That excited?”

Minhee pouted. Kai’s eyes softened and they zeroed in on her lips. He swallowed hard. “So...I was just thinking, do you think it’s possible if Kim Jong In kisses Lee Minhee even before he asks her to be his girlfriend?”

“I think that would be nice.” Minhee slowly smiled. “Just a short peck, because Minhee doesn’t go around kissing boys who weren’t her boyfriend.” She grinned teasingly.

“Hmm just a short peck?” Kai murmured, slowly lowering his head. “How about multiple short pecks?” His arms tightened their grip around her body and lifted her to meet his lips.

The kiss that followed after, was NOTHING like a peck.

 

 

 

There are some people that are so charming that they are able to arouse the interest of many other people. There are some people, that seems so charmless that they’re entirely unattractive.

Some people have many suitors, admirers, and are popular with the opposite . Some people just have it better than others.

However regardless, sometimes you only need that one right person to fall in love with you, and then you can love that person back. Wholeheartedly. 

 

 

 

 

 

THE END

THank you for reading this story and sticking to the end of this long chapter. It's much longer than I expected, coming up to 33 pages on MS word.

Thank you for reading :) Hpe you enjoyed it!