Let’s go again today. I’ll wait for you at the lake.

But she doesn’t go. She has too much work on her hands and some studying to do. She spots him on her train ride home though. It was only mere seconds, but she saw. She thinks that she can recognise him anywhere amidst a crowd.

***

Minseok doesn’t leave her any notes the next following days. But he does leave behind a chocolate and the girl wonders if she had made him angry by not showing up last time. She sweeps the feeling away, doing more work and studying a little harder, yet the thought lingers around, and it frustrates her to the core.

Dear Minseok,

You’re an . I dislike you very much. Uggh! Give me more chocolates.

She tapes this note behind after a few weeks and leaves the room at the end of class. Her steps appear as though she has left a jar of pride along with those words for the boy.

The next morning, she suddenly regrets her decision.

Dear sunshine,

If that’s another way of saying you miss me, then I’ll meet you at the train station today. HAHA.

P.S. A please would have been nice.

She rolls her eyes and bites her lips. Her anticipation level for this afternoon accounts to zero. She does not want to meet him. He is such a big tease.

***

Reading her essay feedback while walking to the station, she is suddenly engulfed in a hug and for a second she thinks that someone is about to kidnap her. But there are people around, the day is still bright and the arms around her are tight but affectionate. Her essay is pressed against her chest and she stiffens for seconds too long.

“It took you long enough.” It’s only until the other person whispers that she realises that he’s been smoothing her hair.

She pushes him away with wrinkled eyebrows, “What do you think you’re doing Minseok?”

He doesn’t reply, only shoves his hand into his pocket, taking out a chocolate and giving it to her. “Today’s hint.” He says to her.

The girl opens the wrapper and pops the chocolate into . She knows what he means and for once she’s excited to be going somewhere. Minseok’s hair is pushed up today, with the top button of his school shirt opened and when they sit on the train, she can’t help but stare at him through the reflection. He catches her and she looks away, pretending that it never happened. But Minseok doesn’t look away, and keeps staring at her with a smile on his face.

“Can you stop it?” She says with irritation. “You’re so annoying.”

He laughs at her softly. “Stop what?” He says feigning ignorance. “You were the one staring at me first. You know… if you like my new look so much or you think I’m attractive you could just tell me.” Minseok smirks.

“Shut up.”

***

They both take the bus to the supermarket when they get off the train. The sky is clear and the breeze is lighter than usual, and Minseok mumbles to one of his favourite songs.

“What song are you singing?” She asks as they walk in the store.

Minseok looks at her with a raised eyebrow, “Why do you want to know, sunshine?”

“It’s nice.” She shrugs.

But he doesn’t tell her. He only walks through the isles, putting different foods into the basket. “Do you want some snacks? Because it’ll be a while.” He says looking back at her as she trails quietly behind.

The girl catches up and peers up at him. “Aren’t we just here to get the chocolates? What do you mean it’ll take a while?” She pauses in her step, as Minseok keeps walking with a smile on his face. The girl has to skip to catch up to him again. “Wait a minute… don’t tell me you make those chocolates?”

He doesn’t answer her as he grabs a few packets of snacks and heads to the register. She follows beside him, eyes trailing his facial expression. “Seriously Minseok? You make those?”

Minseok leans towards her ear, a little too close for her liking. “Seriously.” He whispers.

***

Minseok’s house is warm and cosy. It is small with a white fence in front and pretty flowers that line up on the edge. The font door reads Home Sweet Home. His parents are home when they arrive and he introduces her as a friend. Although, somewhere in the back of her mind she questions their friendship. They invite her to stay for dinner and at first she refuses because she wants to get home as soon as possible so that she can edit her essay before the upcoming exams. But they’re too nice to her, and she still needs to see how Minseok makes his chocolates. So she texts home saying that she’ll be a little late.

“Sunshine, can you pass me the pepper?” Minseok requests in a teasing manner and she kicks him from under the table, as her face becomes an embarrassed vermillion. She almost throws the spice shaker at his face.

He chuckles at her. She hears his parents doing the same and she nearly wants to burrow herself into the pasta.

***

When dinner is over, Minseok heads to the kitchen to start his chocolate making. The girl sits on the stool at the kitchen bench with her essay as she watches him prepare the ingredients. After a few minutes she doesn’t look up from her paper and is thoroughly writing down points on improvements.

Minseok clears his throat. “I thought you wanted to see how I made the chocolates?” He is mixing a liquid inside the small stove with a spatula as he looks at her. “How’d you go in that essay?”

She sighs, “I did alright. Not too bad.”

He crosses his arms. “Alright as in you got higher than average or alright as in you got in the top five in class but you’re still disappointed?”

The girl looks at him with wide eyes, and a small agape mouth. “How did you kn–”

Turning the heat on low, Minseok walks towards the stool next to her and sits down. He spins her around as he looks at her straight in the eyes. “How can I not know? You’re so predictable sometimes. Look, you work your off, there’s no doubt that you’ll get one of the top marks. Yet you’re still always so unhappy. And I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing to push yourself, but hey, just be happy with what you’ve got sunshine. You’re marks don’t stick with you forever. No one's going to care in a matter of a few months.”

He gently pushes her hair back behind her ears, and the girl doesn’t move away. Her eyes are distant and she looks troubled. “It’s just I–”

Minseok doesn’t let her finish as he speaks over her. “Listen sunshine, there’s something I realised about school. Teachers are always telling us about originality, about being original. But all they’re doing is teaching us how to imitate the good things. It’s just a game of imitation. If you imitate well, you get good marks. Originality doesn’t exist in this world. Everything is inspired by something else and if you ever do think of something original, something no one has ever thought of before, then you’re either crazy or just stupid. There’s no in between. So don’t fret over small things. You’re wasting your time. Now why don’t we go pour the chocolate into frames and place them in the fridge.”

And for the first time the girl smiles at Minseok as she nods. It was short-lived, but it made his heart tumble to his stomach.