Eunhye sat stiffly in her seat in the starbucks coffee shop, studying the face infront of her. Lee Jinki was by no means unattractive, with chestnut brown hair and warm brown eyes. Despite both of them being the same age, he looked younger.

Especially when he was immensely enjoying the big bowl of ice-cream he ordered along with his coffee, content noises escaping his light red lips after each spoonful. He looks like he might elope with his ice-cream any moment instead of being so in love with her, as he claimed. Eunhye thought as her lips twitched with amusement.

With the remainder of the events that occured though, Eunhye's mood turned sour again as she recalled what happened less than half-an-hour before.  

*Flash back*

Eunhye was too stunned to come up with any words, and instead of shouting back a 'No, not even in you're dreams you embarassing goof' as a reply to the confession, she merely pointed to the school gates across the compound, indicating without any words that she wanted to talk to him there. She then turned her back and walked away, trying to gather what was left of her dignity.

She wondered for a moment what Nana would say if she had been there. Probaby giggled her cute off, Eunhye thought with a huff. She went down the stairs to make her way to the gates and tried to ignore the amused looks students sent her way. She still had to ponder on the news her mother gave her, but she decided to leave the thought until after she talked to Jinki. 

Lee Jinki however, was already there and before she could say anything, he smiled, "How about we talk in that coffee shop across the street? It'd be more comfortable." He had a hopeful expression on his face, and she hated the fact that she didn't have the heart to say no to that sweet smile. She'd feel like she crushed a 12-year old's last hope.

"Ofcourse, lead the way." She sighed.

*End of Flash back*

"Are you alright? You don't look too good." Lee Jinki's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she blinked as she focused her gazed on him. He had his spoon pointed at her, a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." she replied smoothly. "I was thinking about your confession actually."

Jinki straightened up at her words, laying his spoon down. His wide-eyed innocent expression made her feel almost bad about what she would say next.

"I've been thinking," she continued "and I think-"

"You want to date me?" Jinki interrupted with a wide smile.

"What?" Eunhye blinked. "Um, no I'm-"

"Let's go on a date right now! I want to show you a place I know." He interrupted again with an excited smile.

"JInki, I-" But he didn't listen despite her protests, and she sighed in exasperation as he took her wrist and practically dragged her out of the coffee shop in his enthusiasm.

"You do realise I have debate practice in an hour and you have basket ball practice soon?" Eunhye asked with a sour look on her face, tugging her wrist from his hand as they made their way to whatever place he had in his mind.

"You're on the student council and I'm the basket ball captain. They won't be after us just because we missed one practice." He said brightly. At his words Eunhye sighed and finally gave in. He was right, and besides, a break right now sounded satisfying after the whole fiasco today. Thinking about it she was once again annoyed and turned to him to ask.

"What made you do that anyway? Weren't you embarassed at all?" she demanded, thinking about the giggling crowd that was gathered at the compound, feasting their eyes upon the display.

"Oh," He binked before a blush covered his cheeks, "That was Taemin's idea. He said since you were on the debate team, you might like it."

Eunhye stared at him in disbelief. Taemin's logic obviously hasn't improved since the last time she talked to him. "So you actually listened to him? The maknae of the basket ball team? Really?" She asked, shaking her head.

"I didn't have anyone else to ask for advice." He protested,

"Minho is usually good at these things, but he had a test today." Jinki frowned before adding, "And Jonghyun and Key were mysteriously absent yesterday."

"Knowing them, probably hiding from Ms. Kim." Eunhye mused, "I heard she threatened to call their parents if they handed their papers late this time."

"You're right." He laughed as he turned a corner from the street. "Both of them kept whining last week about their paper." He admitted.

"You'd think they would learn after two years." Eunhye said exasperately.

"I didn't know you were friends though." Jinki sounded surprised.

"I'm not." Eunhye replied looking at him. "Suho talks about them alot. More like taking his frustration on me. Apparently they come to him whenever their helpless, but Suho's determined not to give in this time."

"You know it's only a matter of time right? Key's ayego is undefeated." Jinki claimed proudly.

"I thought you disapproved of their lack of motivation? You sound like you want Suho to give in." She said in an almost teasing tone.

"No, 'course not." Jinki said defensiely, "I do tell them not to bother Vitamin-ho."

"Vitamin-ho?" Eunhye blinked, more than amused. "You call Suho Vitamin-ho?"

"Oh, yeah." JInki laughed with an embarassed look on his face. "I was sick during the exams last year, and Suho forced me to take more than ten different types of vitamins for a whole week. I started calling him that name after that, and it kind of stuck."

"Suho tends to do that." Eunhye agreed with a soft expression.

"Yeah. This way, we're almost there now." Jinki beamed.

"What is this place again? I'm going back if it's a chicken food place." Eunhye said dryly.

"Not this time." He said turning his head to look sheepishly at her. She shook her head again and followed him, breathing in the cool evening air.

She couldn't remember the last time she had walked in the streets of Seoul like this, she was always too busy with her grades, and extra club activities. Nana had been begging for weeks to skip one of her practices so they could go shopping together, and Eunhye had declined everytime. Now that she did skip today and since it wasn't with Nana, she felt bad. She pursed her lips and made a mental note to buy her something good as an apology.

"We're here." Jinki grinned at her, making a grand gesture with his hands to the right. Eunhye blinked and turned her head to the direction he was indicating, and she breathed-in sharply as she took in the scene. It was a basket ball court. But just not any court. It was surrounded by white party lights hung from the street light stands of the court, and though small, the handful of flowers growing beside the benches made the scene look amazingly picturistic.

"It's beautiful." She said, unable to take her eyes of the scene.

"I come here every now and then to practice. My home is near here and" He cut off, clearing his throat. "This is where I first learned how to play. Basket ball I mean." Jinki said, looking abit embarassed and ruffling his hair.

"I think it's great." She said honestly, surprising herself. "Do you want to go sit on the bench then?" Jinki offered, looking away, a light blush on his cheeks.

"Sure," Eunhye said, amused at his reaction, and made her way to the bench under the white glow of the lights. She relaxed in her seat, Jinki taking his seat next to her. It really was a pleasant place, Eunhye mused. 

Jinki returned with a few drinks he bought from a vending machine nearby, and they both indulged in a light conversation, and as an hour passed by she realised she was actually enjoying herself. Jinki reminded her of one her brothers, and she liked that feeling.

It reminded of the days spent with her siblings in her previous home. Days of laughter spent in the backyard, running after her brothers in a chase of childish accomplishment, laughing at their silly ways of making her smile, crying from countless, meaningless sibling quabbles and mostly..the feeling of content. Those were the days she was alive and not the the cold, nonchalant person she was today.

Unknown to Eunhye though, during the process where she was lost in her childhood memories, a smile had graced on her light pink lips, possibly since the first time since forever. For Onew, it left him breath-less, as he stared at the beauty infront him, her eyes soft and expression so at peace. It was the first time he ever saw her smile and it felt like he had fallen in love all over again.

"Wow." Jinki breathed. Not realising the word that left his lips until Eunhye blinked, surprised and the expression left her face. Blood immediately rused to his face as he realised his blunder and he quickly apologised.

"Sorry! You just looked..um, you smiled." Jinki looked torn between looking embarassed and amazed. Eunhye forced down her own blush at his words, and turned her head, trying to compose her self. She was surprised herself, this was the first time she had ever left her guard down like that.

"Is smiling a crime?" She asked in a bemused tone, almost defensively. "No!" Jinki sputtered, "Ofcourse not." He coughed. " I was just surprised since you- nevermind." He sighed. There was a tired expression on his face, so unlike his usual confident and cheery face, that made Eunhye feel like she was too harsh.

Before she could speak again though, Jinki surprised her.

"I somehow knew how this would turn out today." He stated, leaning back on the bench and looking at his hands all the while. "I know you rejected every guy at our school, and I knew I don't have a chance." He looked at Eunhye with a forlorn smile.

"I had to try, ofcourse. To tell you the truth, I went with Taemin's 'grand' idea because I was hoping you might actually say yes out of disbelief." He laughed rubbing the back of his head. "But obviously I.." He trailed off. With a determined expression he looked Eunhye in the eye.

"I wasn't lying when I said I was in love with you. It might seem hard to believe, but I really do. So Thank you, for going along with this date even though you don't feel the same. I..really had a great time." He said with a smile that made Eunhye think about the words she was going to say.

"You're welcome, Jinki."she said, "And you're right, I don't feel the same way." At these words, Jinki's shoulders slumped abit, but Eunhye continued.

"Even though I don't feel the same way," she repeated, "I like you, as a friend. You..remind me of someone who was close to me and I would like us to be friends." She said clearing . 

Jinki looked too surprised to speak. "Unless you don't want to?" Eunhye said in a teasing tone she used on Nana whenever she for Nana's fear of bugs.

"No!" Jinki blurted out. "I mean, I'd love to be friends." Jinki beamed at her, and Eunhye returned it with an amused "Hn."

"There's one thing we have to agree on before that though." Jinki said smiling abit mischievously, as Eunhye looked questionly at him.

"My friends call me Onew."