~♥~ Jiyoung POV ~♥~

Even if we’ve been friends for about a month, I still felt a little nervous around Karam. Now, we were going into the kitchen to fetch some snacks for the others on our small study session. Karam and I walked in silence down the stairs and past the living room into the kitchen.

I jumped when I suddenly heard him speak from behind me. “Where did your parents go?”

“They had to go to work. I forgot about that. I guess we won’t have a healthy meal for dinner if you’re staying that long. Sorry.” I twisted my body around to smile apologetically at him.

“Well, if it’s okay with you and your parents wouldn’t mind, I’ll help make dinner,” he said modestly.

I opened the refrigerator and searched for some treats. Maybe my mother had brought cake home from the bakery. I replied without thinking too much about the offer. “No, you’re a guest.”

“Are you sure? I want to.” I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell that he was hopeful.

I thought about it for a minute this time. My parents might not be too upset about it, but it seemed a little rude to have him cook us supper. I could help him with it, though. “Okay, then,” I smiled.

Karam smiled back at me. He looked genuinely happy.

I turned my attention back to the refrigerator and frowned. “There’s no cake,” I groaned and opened the freezer.

He laughed at my whine. “Look, ice cream,” he pointed to some fruity ice cream bars. “Do you like ice cream or just cake?”

“I like cake more,” I pouted at him.

He giggled some more. Out of nowhere, Min Ah popped into my head. This was the first time I was alone with Karam since he had rejected her. I grasped the chance to ask him about it.

“Hey, Karam,” I began a little hesitantly. I shut the freezer so that the contents in it didn’t melt and turned to him. It was hard to keep eye-contact when he was watching me and listening to everything I said, but I tried my best.

He gave a hum to tell me to continue.

I didn’t know how to phrase the question without sounding nosy, so I just decided to be blunt. “Why did you turn Min Ah down?”

He looked startled at the sudden question, which was understandable. “Uhh,” he stuttered, “Well…”

Did he really not think I would ask him about this? Min Ah is my friend. Of course I would want to know why he didn’t like her back. I kept staring at him waiting for his answer.

“I…” and then he mumbled incoherent words. It sounded like “bikes melon juice,” but I doubted that was it.

“What? Melons?” I squinted my eyes in confusion.

“Melons?” he echoed.

“What did you say?” I asked again and faintly shook my head.

He chuckled awkwardly. “It wasn’t melons.”

“I know,” I playfully rolled my eyes. “What did you say, then?”

“…What?”

Apparently, he didn’t want to tell me. “Why did you reject Min Ah when she asked you out?” I stated slowly.

He hesitated. “Why?”

“Why what?” I was somewhat frustrated by now but tried not to let it show much.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because Min Ah is one of my best friends.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I just want to know why.” I realize I was being pushy, but his reaction was suspicious, so I needed to know.

He sighed in defeat. Finally! “I like someone else.”

My heart dropped at this. Who? I couldn’t force my lips to move into that simple syllable. I kind of just stood there with a stupid expression. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Say something! “Oh…” That wasn’t what I wanted to say.

“You’re not going to ask who it is?” he laughed nervously.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts more than in response. “That’s none of my business.”

“But don’t you want to know?”

I felt really heavy. I couldn’t help but tear my gaze away from his face and back to the cabinets. “I guess not,” I forced out. It was a lie.

I couldn’t see Karam’s expression when he said, “Jiyoung?”

“What?” I knew he wasn’t calling for my attention. Actually, I didn’t know why he had said my name. When he didn’t reply, I reached into the cabinet door. “There are some chips in here. We only have barbeque flavored, though.” I pulled them out.

“Jiyoung,” Karam repeated. His voice wasn’t concerned anymore. It was a little… mischievous?

I set the salty snacks on the table on my right and peered over at Karam. He was smirking. Wide-eyed, I turn myself to observe him.

“Don’t you want to know who?” his grin grew wider as he stepped closer to me. Despite his attempts at being cool, I could see that his face was tinted red, and I could hear the slight nervousness in his voice.

He couldn’t mean me, could he? I thought. No way. I probably don’t even know the girl. Then why is he acting this way? My heart beat so loud in my ears while millions of unresolved thoughts crossed my mind.

Karam took a few more steps until he was barely an inch away from me. I had to crane my neck up to look at him because he was taller. When he got so close, he didn’t know what to do, so he just lifted his hand to brush some strands of hair out of my face. I let out a small gasp. His hands were warm, but still managed to send chills up my spine. “Who do you think it is?” His eyes sparkled with excitement. I couldn’t say anything. He leaned down so that his face was level with mine. His hand was still entwined in my locks. “Do you want me to tell you?” He straightened out, dropped his hand, and took two steps back. It felt a tad bit colder without his body heat. I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down before he spoke. “It’s you.”

At this, the thoughts racing through my head stopped. Everything was silent except for the sound of my thumping heart. I could only see Karam. After a moment, I realized I hadn’t said anything. What should I say? “Karam…” Today was just not my day for thinking before I talked.

“I like you a lot, Jiyoung,” he gulped again. He was worried that I wouldn’t accept his feelings.

As lame as it was, I replied with a measly, “I like you, too.” My face rose at least ten degrees Celsius.

Karam brightly smiled. He exhaled with relief after pulling me in for a hug. His arms slid to my waist and I held my hands up without noticing. He rested his chin on my shoulder and closed his eyes in content. “I’m glad.”

My face could not get any hotter. I probably looked like a tomato. I was happy Karam couldn’t see my expression right now, because I was smiling like an idiot. I gingerly placed my forgotten hands on his upper arms while containing a squeal. This could not be happening. There was no way this was real.

Karam started to lightly sing without breaking the embrace. I girlishly giggled and buried my face in his neck before breathing in his scent. I don’t know how I was so calm on the outside, when I was freaking out on the inside.

~♥~ Yun Hee POV ~♥~

While Karam and Jiyoung were retrieving the snacks, I was upstairs sitting on the floor with the rest. Jay was trying to talk to Kyou who was trying to study and Hyunmin was working with Mika on their group project. Injun had said he had no work to do, so I ended up chatting with him.

After a while, I decided to ask something I had been wondering for a long time. “Did you make any friends?”

“I made lots of friends, but none that are close enough to hang outside of school with.”

I frowned. “Well, at least you have us to hang out with.”

Injun smiled a dazzling smile where his eyes were shaped into crescent moons and his perfect teeth were showing. He held up his arms to form a heart. It was so cute. How can a boy be this pretty?

I let out an involuntary squeal. “So cute~”

He chuckled at my reaction. “Thank you,” he said and placed his palms under his chin as if to display the charms he knew he had.

I giggled some more and continued saying, “So cute. So cute, Injunnie.”

“Injunnie? I’m older than you!” He pushed me over lightly, but I still tumbled onto the floor and into the lap of the person next to me. Whether it was fortunate or not, that person was Mika.

“Sorry. Sorry,” I bowed my head and fixed myself upright. My smile was replaced by a blush.

Mika opened his mouth to reply, but Karam and Jiyoung had chosen that moment to enter through the door. Everyone was silent as they stared at their entwined hands and beet red faces.

Hyunmin was the first to say something. “What’s this? Karam finally got a girlfriend?” he guffawed.

“Good going, Karam. How did you seduce Jiyoung?” Jay joined in.

“I-I didn’t seduce her or anything like that!” His face only turned a more visible shade of crimson.

Jiyoung bit her lip and looked at me and Kyou. She wanted to see our reactions. Of course, we were happy for her. We knew she liked him, and we suspected Karam returned the feelings. I was glad it only took around a month instead of a year for them to confess like it does in shoujo manga. I smiled for her to relax and saw Kyou do the same.

Then I realized something. “Where’s the food?!”

The rest of our day together had gone by mostly with small talk. Injun, Jay, and Hyunmin constantly attempted to get information out of Karam about how he asked her out, but he didn’t seem to want to answer out of embarrassment. Karam and Jiyoung worked together to cook dinner while the others and I set the table and waited for the meal. I wasn’t worried about prying into their relationship because I knew Jiyoung would tell me after they leave. Although, I wanted to spy on them cooking together to see how shy they were acting around each other, I didn’t give in to my meddling side.

The sun went down and Dae Guk Nam Ah took their leave home. Hyunmin had scolded Karam for not giving Jiyoung a kiss goodbye. Karam just nervously hit Hyunmin in the arm, and waved to her. I was glad he didn’t do anything. I don’t want to see him being all lovey-dovey with my sister, even if they make a cute couple.

Just as I expected, Jiyoung had told us everything that happened, even if it was awkward for her to do so.

"FINALLY!!!" is what you guys are thinking, right? Someone finally got together. So Karam and Jiyoung are a couple now~ Are you happy? Good~ Karam was really cool, I think. Actually, I wanted Karam to be all cute and shy with his confession, but my fingers move on their own when I type, and they just go any which where ^^" 'Tis true. Did you guys like it? I think my sister was a little disappointed because she wanted it to be cuter rather than cool. She didn't say it, but I think she is. I'm sorry sister T-T I feel guilty, but not guilty enough to redo the chapter v.v I made it up to her by making them hug instead of kiss because I was a troll like that.

By the way, the answer to the riddle will be completely revealed! It was that there was a fail and a success. The fail: Kyou's failing her classes. The success: Karam successfully confesses to Jiyoung. I told you guys my riddle skills are lame.

Less importantly, because my last two or so chapters have been under the usual word limit I make for myself (which is around 1,500 words), I made this one longer (almost 1,900 words). So, be thankful for my graciousness! No, I'm just kidding. But seriously, I had planned to make the confession take up a little over half of this chapter, but things never turn out the way I want them to. This is for the better anyway, because I wanted the next chapter to be on it's own.

Speaking of the next chapter, it will be based on Popsicle's "I'll Love You Until It Snows in August" or however it is translated. Just so you know, that music video is what started this whole fanfiction. True story. But you guys probably don't care OTL

Ahem, please ignore icedragonhitsu. That is my cousin being a weirdo. Kyou is based off of her, by the way, which is why she said her hands are full of dog. I've said that before, but yeah. Just ignore her comments. And she made the chapter title, so thank you for that cousin~! That was an inside joke that we had about her never commenting on my story because she was too nervous and my biggest fan and reads my fanfic over and over again everyday. Well, it's not so inside anymore since I told you. No one reads these anyway so I guess it is still inside OTL

Okay, I'm done rambling. Extra long author's note for the extra long chapter.