Hyunyoung was about to take the path leading to the deeper part of the park when Myungsoo grabbed her by the arm, smiling, and pointed to the other way. “Let’s go there instead,” he said with a cheeky smile playing on the corners of his lips. “Let’s have a change of scenery.”

She blinked, craning her neck to get a better view of the path he wanted to take and arched an eyebrow inquisitively at him. “Isn’t that leading toward the forest behind the park, though?” she asked warily, her brows creasing together. “Won’t it be dangerous?”

He grinned, shaking his head. “I’ve taken that path ever since I was a kid. I know the path like the back of my hand. It’s pretty safe, if you know which path to take,” he explained and she could detect the honesty in them and trusted his words. “Plus, there’s a really beautiful pond with a nice little dock and — why are you looking at me like that?”

Hyunyoung shook her head in awe, yet she was touched because she knew what he was thinking. “You really know how to convince me to follow you to places you want to go, huh?” she laughed, nudging him by the sides. “How did you know I like going to ponds with a nice little dock, hmm?”

He grinned, nudging her back as they made their way to the forest. “Because you like places where there are either no one or very little people because it’s quiet and calm and you dislike noisy and crowded places.”

“Yeah, like school,” Hyunyoung sighed without thinking. “Ah — no, wait — I meant — that came out wrong —”

Myungsoo, however, frowned slightly, disturbed by the fact that she was annoyed with the attention she was getting in school. “You know I can’t help being popular. It’s not like I want to be, either.” Hyunyoung noticed how close he had scooted over to her until their arms would brush against each other as they walked.

“I know, I know, and it was stupid of me to say so. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry, sunbae.” She bit her bottom lip, keeping her eyes cast down to the ground. “Please don’t take it to heart.”

“Do you really hate how people look at you because of me?” he asked her slowly, as if he was thinking hard about something.

Hyunyoung shrugged, not really wanting to neither lie nor tell the truth. “I just don’t like to be looked at, I guess. It makes me feel like they expect something out of me, like I’m some experiment examined under a microscope. They’re watching my every move; it makes me feel like I’m doing a test and I’m not sure if I will fail or pass.”

She didn’t say how it was like that for her back in Seoul. She hated how everyone looked at her with admiration and envy because of her position in the school’s editorial team. Hyunyoung never complained about it because she accepted the fact that it was her duty, and duties always come with a price. But with Myungsoo, she could speak her mind of every thought and he wouldn’t hold it against her.

“I see.”

Silence fell upon the both of them as they promenaded deeper into the woods, with a few occasional stops to take pictures. Myungsoo surveyed Hyunyoung as she treaded on the crunching twigs and brown, crisp leaves carefully, making her way over to a tree to snap a picture of a snail climbing up the bark. He smiled softly, gazing at her with such adoration that if she would turn around to face him, she would be able to see the feelings he harbored for her. If anyone asked him when he fell for her, he would tell them it was the first time they met.

Back to that night when he first met her, was also the day Kim Myungsoo fell in love.

Myungsoo kept a careful eye on her, making sure she did not trip over the roots and get hurt. He wanted to protect her, to make her happy. He wanted her to be safe and to be there for her when she wasn’t anything but happy. As he watched her, he tried to remember the reasons why he fell for her in the first place.

Could it be the way she asked him if he was interested in photography, when he noticed she, too, had a camera bag on her lap? Was it the way she was polite and wasn’t all-in-your-face like some people he knew?

All he remembered was when she smiled at him after thanking him for letting her sit beside him and felt his stomach doing somersaults and the basorexia overwhelmed him greatly he had to summon every willpower within him to look away. Needless to say, he was elated to know that she was his best buddy’s little sister!

He began to crave for her presence, and would do anything to be close to her. He would make excuses to go round to her place just to see her. When people in school began to hate her for knowing him, he personally went to everyone and told them off for even hating such a wonderful person.

Woohyun was surprised by his change of behavior. For as long as they have known each other, Myungsoo never showed any emotions except detachment. He was aloof, emotionless and was known as “L” because of his cold exterior. So when he began to show some sort of emotions toward his little sister, he approached his friend. Oh, how shock Myungsoo was when Woohyun told him to treat Hyunyoung good. However, he was pleased to see that Woohyun allowed him to date her.

But the question was, would Hyunyoung be his girlfriend if he asked her? She was still shy with him, although she had opened up to him, and even though they have gone on many dates together, the furthest they have ever done was just holding hands. Myungsoo didn’t care that she was still shy to kiss him or to be more intimate with him; he could wait until she was ready, he was willing to take it slow.

Throw in the cheesiest line, but it was true when he said he’d wait for her.

The biggest factor he would have to consider was how she would handle being the queenka of the school. He was rather apprehensive about it; that was the only thing holding him back from asking her out officially. Myungsoo knew how Hyunyoung felt about having eyes on her and he didn’t want to put that pressure on her. Also, there was a long line of guys wanting to date her and he didn’t want her to think he was like them; she had rejected them all and he feared he may be rejected, too.

But at the same time, it is because of the long line that he didn’t want to wait for the perfect time to ask her out anymore. He didn’t want her to say yes to another guy before he even had the chance to ask her to consider him.

“Sunbae?”

He shook his head and turned to Hyunyoung, who was now standing in front of him with a curious and concerned expression on her face. “Is everything okay?” she asked. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Myungsoo chuckled at the same question he had asked her moments ago. He nodded, reaching out to pinch her cheek lightly. “I’m fine,” he reassured her. “I was just thinking about something.” He dropped his hand to his sides before lifting it up again to take her hand into his, lacing their fingers. He loved how her fingers fitted perfectly through the cracks between his; it was almost as if a jigsaw puzzle with its missing pieces. “Let’s continue our way to the pond, shall we?”

She smiled, squeezing his hand gently, and nodded and Myungsoo swore his heart was secretly a gymnast. Suddenly feeling bold, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheeks. Hyunyoung’s eyes widened when