"Huh? What did you say?" Hye Ri answered, looking up from her phone at Ri Ah. They had been eating lunch together. Ri Ah sighed at her distracted friend.

"Who are you texting so fervently?" she asked.

"Oh…D.O. Oppa…" Hye Ri answered as she nervously bit her lip.

"Really?" Ri Ah answered with a look of curious interest in her eyes.

"Yeah, we've been talking to each other since Valentine's Day."

"That was a few weeks ago. You two have been keeping in touch since then?" Ri Ah asked incredulously.

Hye Ri nodded and Ri Ah had a sly smile on her face.

"So…what do you two talk about?" Ri Ah casually asked as she took a bite of her food.

"Just random things. Like sometimes he'll text me when he's bored in class. And sometimes we just ask each other questions about one another. I've actually gotten to learn a lot about him since Valentine's Day," Hye Ri finished with a shy smile as she looked at her phone.

Ri Ah bit her lip as she tried to hold back a grin, excited that even though the Valentine's Day plan didn't go the way she expected it to, it wasn't a complete failure.

"Like, did you know that D.O. was a nickname he got from the army?" Hye Ri asked, looking back up at Ri Ah.

"Actually, I remember him saying that when I first met him," Ri Ah answered as she nodded. "But I don't know how it came about."

"Ah, that's because there was more than one Kyung Soo in his unit, and since he was the youngest, they decided he would get a nickname. D.O. is from his last name Do, and," Hye Ri giggled before continuing, "since his eyes are big and kind of unique, they chose it because D.O. looks like the emoticon with big eyes."

Ri Ah laughed at the explanation. "Wow, that's true. His nickname really fits him now that I know how he got it."

"But…" Hye Ri's smile was replaced by a slight frown, "even though we've been talking a lot, I don't really understand his intentions. I mean, it all started because he wanted to check up on my ankle, but we continued to talk even after it was healed. What does that mean? Does he see me as a friend that's nice to talk to? Or does he maybe…like me?" Hye Ri looked at Ri Ah with inquisitive eyes, expecting her to know the answer.

Ri Ah blinked at her question. "Um, well…"

"Because," Hye Ri continued before Ri Ah could get her thoughts together, "he's never asked to hang out together. So, that must mean he only sees me as someone nice to talk to, right?" Hye Ri looked at Ri Ah again, waiting for an answer.

"Uh…I guess-" Ri Ah started to answer but was interrupted again by Hye Ri speaking her thoughts aloud.

"I could ask him to hang out, but I don't really have the guts to do that, especially when I don't know what he thinks of me."

"…" Ri Ah stared at her blankly, wondering if she could finally speak.

"What do you think?" Hye Ri finally asked.

"I think-," Ri Ah started but again was interrupted.

"Oh no, I actually have to get going to my next class," Hye Ri said as she saw the time on her phone. "I guess I'm just overthinking things and should just let things go about naturally. Thanks for the advice Ri Ah. I'll see you later." Hye Ri grabbed her things and headed out, leaving a slightly baffled Ri Ah at the table.

"Guess what Ri Ah?" Baek Hyun asked with a smile as he sat down at lunch.

"What?"

"I'm going to medical school," he answered with a grin.

"Really?" Ri Ah asked with a look of happy surprise. "Where?"

"Here."

"That's great! Congratulations Sunbae!"

"Yeah, I was really nervous when I got my letter. You have no idea how long it took for me to mentally prepare myself before opening it," he said with a chuckle.

"I had no doubt you would get into S University's medical school. You really deserve it."

"Thanks. I think I might frame my letter and put it up where I can see it everyday, because it's still hard for me to believe," he jokingly said.

"Are you going to do anything to celebrate?"

"Actually, the guys are taking me out for Korean barbecue this weekend. You should come."

"It seems like it's a guy's night out. Won't I ruin the mood?" Ri Ah asked with a chuckle.

"What are you talking about? Why would you ruin the mood? You can bring Hye Ri too if you don't want to be the only girl."

"If you're sure, then I'd love to come."

"Speaking of Hye Ri, it seems that our plan was a fail on Valentine's Day," Baek Hyun said with a frown.

"Actually, it might not have been a complete failure," Ri Ah said with a twinkle in her eye. "D.O.-ssi asked for Hye Ri's number and they've been talking to each other ever since the contest."

"Really?" Baek Hyun asked in surprise. How come I didn't know about this? he thought to himself as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"But Hye Ri isn't sure if D.O.-ssi likes her or not. Have you heard anything from him?"

Baek Hyun was caught off guard by this news. He always prided himself on being in the know among his friends, but D.O. was able to successfully keep his "affair" secret.

"Uh, well, D.O. hasn't specifically said anything, but he doesn't typically go out of his way to ask for a girl's number unless he likes her. And if they've been talking these past few weeks, then he's really making an effort."

"That's good to hear. I'm glad that there's still a chance for those two."

"Yeah…." Baek Hyun responded as he looked ahead in contemplation. "Anyways, Ri Ah, I think it would be good if Hye Ri came to celebrate this weekend. I mean, the more the merrier, right?" he said with a smile that had a hidden meaning.

"Okay, I'll see if she's free this weekend."

"I'm looking forward to this weekend more and more now," Baek Hyun said with a smirk.

Chan Yeol and Ri Ah arrived at the restaurant together that Saturday to find Baek Hyun, Su Ho, and D.O. already there. Baek Hyun and Su Ho were sitting on one side and D.O. on the other.

"You guys are finally here," D.O. said as Ri Ah sat down next to him and Chan Yeol next to Ri Ah. "We can finally order."

"Actually, there's one more person still coming," Ri Ah said.

D.O. looked at her with a confused expression. "Who else would be coming?" he asked himself quietly.

"Congratulations again Baek Hyun Sunbae!" Ri Ah said to him with a big smile.

"Yeah, congrats Baek Hyun," Chan Yeol added.

"Thanks guys," Baek Hyun answered.

"I actually have something for you," Ri Ah said to him as she pulled out a large, flat, rectangular present. She handed it over to Baek Hyun.

"Ri Ah, you didn't have to get me anything," Baek Hyun said in astonishment as he took the gift from her.

"You're making the rest of us look bad, Ri Ah," Su Ho joked.

"What is it?" D.O. asked.

"It's nothing fancy, but I hope you still like it." Baek Hyun started unwrapping the gift to find an 8x11.5 in photo frame. "It's so you can frame your letter like you wanted," Ri Ah clarified, causing Baek Hyun to break out in laughter.

"I was joking about that, but since you got it for me, I'm actually going to frame my letter now," Baek Hyun said.

"Ri Ah, you're only feeding his ego by making this into a bigger deal than it is," Chan Yeol said as he shook his head at Baek Hyun.

"But it is a big deal. Baek Hyun Sunbae really should be proud of himself," Ri Ah responded.

The door to the restaurant ringed and Hye Ri finally arrived. She looked around to see a familiar group and smiled as she walked over to them.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," she greeted them.

"It's no problem, I'm glad you could make it, Hye Ri," Baek Hyun responded.

"Oh Hye Ri, I didn't know you were coming," Su Ho said, slightly surprised. "How are you? Your ankle is better right?"

"Duh, how else do you think she's walking, Hyung?" Chan Yeol pointed out.

D.O. meanwhile was nervously looking anywhere else but at Hye Ri. Although they had been talking and getting to know each other, this was the first time he had seen her since Valentine's Day, and he lost all his confidence when he was face-to-face with her as opposed to when they talked through the phone. Baek Hyun noticed D.O.'s nervousness and a small smirk formed on his face.

"Hye Ri, why don't you sit here," Baek Hyun said as he patted the seat next to him, across from D.O.

"Sure, thanks," Hye Ri said as she sat down. She glanced at D.O. who met her eyes but quickly cleared his throat and looked away. Hye Ri wasn't sure why he was suddenly ignoring her. She shook it off and turned to Baek Hyun, "Congratulations Baek Hyun-ssi. Ri Ah told me about your acceptance into S University Medical School. I've heard it's one of the hardest medical schools to get into in South Korea."

"It is, but I guess if anyone had a chance, it would be me, right?" Baek Hyun jokingly bragged.

"Yah yah, if your head gets any bigger, you're going to suffocate everyone in the restaurant," Chan Yeol said with a slight scowl.

"Okay, okay, let's break it up before this gets any bigger," Su Ho interrupted. "How about we order?"

He called over the waitress and ordered 6 servings of different meats and various side dishes. It came out in no time and they started grilling the meat and chatting about random things as they waited for it to be ready. They hadn't finished half of their food when Baek Hyun spoke up over everyone.

"How about we make things a little more interesting?" he suggested.

"What do you mean?" Su Ho asked.

"Each of us will make a wrap for the person to our left, but the ingredients we put in have to express how we feel about that person. So I make one for Su Ho Hyung, Su Ho Hyung makes one for Chan Yeol, Chan Yeol for Ri Ah, Ri Ah for D.O., D.O. for Hye Ri, and Hye Ri for me."

"That sounds interesting, let's try it," Ri Ah excitedly agreed.

"I'm willing to try," Su Ho added.

"Sure, why not?" Chan Yeol shrugged.

Hye Ri also agreed and without much of a choice, D.O. reluctantly agreed too.

"Okay, I'll go first," Baek Hyun said as he started making a wrap for Su Ho. He started putting in rice and beef and then started adding a lot of garlic.

"Hey, why are you putting so much garlic in?" Su Ho exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Because Hyung, garlic is known to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of . And since I care so much for you, I want to make sure you're healthy and live long," Baek Hyun said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Are you trying to make me a loner while you're at it? If you put so much garlic in, I'm going to have bad breath," Su Ho argued back.

"Then you just keep your mouth shut for the rest of the night," Baek Hyun shrugged. He finished wrapping and held it to Su Ho's mouth with a smile. "Here you go Hyung."

Su Ho gulped as he anticipated the strong garlic taste that was soon to come. He slowly opened his mouth and Baek Hyun pushed the wrap in. As Su Ho chewed, his face contorted into a weird expression making everyone laugh.

"I wouldn't be laughing Chan Yeol, because I'm going to put as much wasabi sauce in yours as much as I love you," Su Ho said after gulping down a whole glass of water to try to wash away some of the garlic taste. "And I just love my dongsaeng so much," Su Ho said with an eye smile that was creepy given that he was going to make a deathly wrap for Chan Yeol.

Chan Yeol's mouth gaped as he saw Su Ho continue to add spoon after spoon of wasabi sauce.

"Are you trying to make me lose my sense of smell?!" Chan Yeol cried as he stopped Su Ho from adding any more.

"No, I'm just trying to express my feelings," Su Ho answered innocently. "My overflowing feelings for you."

Chan Yeol made a face showing his uneasiness as he watched Su Ho wrap the lettuce.

"Say ahhh," Su Ho said as he held the wrap up to Chan Yeol's mouth.

Chan Yeol hesitantly opened up his mouth and engulfed the wrap. He slowly chewed and waited for the intense flavor to hit, which it soon did and his hands immediately went up to his nose as he felt the burning sensation travel up to his nasal cavity. The table burst out laughing at Chan Yeol's misfortune as he scrunched his eyes closed and tried to swallow.

"Hyung! That was too much!" Chan Yeol cried out as he started recovering from the overload of wasabi.

"Haha, but now your sinuses are clear, right?" Su Ho joked.

"Aish!" Chan Yeol muttered.

"It's your turn Chan Yeol. What are you going to put in Ri Ah's?" Hye Ri asked him.

"Yeah, how are you going to express your feelings for her?" Baek Hyun asked as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand and gave him a challenging look.

Chan Yeol turned to Ri Ah and saw her staring at him in anticipation. He swallowed as he thought about his feelings for her.

"How about," Baek Hyun began, "you put in as much chili sauce as you like her?" he finished with a sly smile.

"Chili sauce? Are you trying to kill her taste buds?" Su Ho asked in shock.

"Hyung, your breath smells," Baek Hyun said as he gave him a firm look.

"Oh, sorry," Su Ho replied and covered his mouth.

"Go ahead Chan Yeol, let's see how much you like Ri Ah," Baek Hyun said with a smirk as he turned back to Chan Yeol.

"I don't want to use chili sauce," Chan Yeol firmly stated. "I don't want Ri Ah to burn ," he mumbled.

Baek Hyun chuckled. "Just how much were you going to add that you're so worried about her burning ?"

Chan Yeol's cheeks slightly blushed and he looked away nervously, chastising himself for falling for Baek Hyun's trap.

"It's okay, Chan Yeol. I'm good at handling spicy things. This is all for fun and I don't want to ruin the mood by making you worry about me," Ri Ah said to help the situation.

"See, Ri Ah's okay with it. So you can comfortably express your feelings for her," Baek Hyun said with a taunting smile.

Chan Yeol sighed and started making the wrap. When he came to the chili sauce, he hesitated. Putting two spoons wouldn't be overdoing it, though it will be pretty spicy,  but how would she see that in terms of my feelings for her? Does that mean we're just friends? If I put in another spoon, will she think I see her as more than a friend? Well, I do, but I don't know if I'm ready for her to know that yet. Aish, Baek Hyun, you jerk. How could you put me in this situation?

Chan Yeol slowly added one spoon, and then another. He glanced at Ri Ah through the corner of his eye. She was looking at the chili sauce, waiting to see how much he would put in. Chan Yeol bit his lip and decided to go ahead and add another spoon before wrapping it up.

"That's pretty spicy," D.O. pointed out.

"What does that mean?" Hye Ri quietly asked herself as she cocked her head. Chan Yeol…he couldn't possibly… Realization hit her and she stared at Chan Yeol, mouth slightly agape.

Chan Yeol fed the wrap to Ri Ah, hoping that he got the message across to her. Everyone at the table understood what Chan Yeol was trying to say by putting in three spoons of chili sauce. Everyone except Ri Ah. For her, three spoons of chili sauce was nothing, and so by her standards, this was a normal wrap that showed her that Chan Yeol thought of her as a friend.

"That was delicious!" Ri Ah exclaimed after she had swallowed. Everyone stared at her, mouth agape.

"It wasn't spicy?" D.O. asked her in surprise.

"No," Ri Ah answered, shaking her head.

"How can such a sweet and innocent girl like her handle the devil's food so well?" Su Ho quietly asked himself behind his hand that still covered his mouth.

"It's my turn right?" Ri Ah asked as she started fixing a wrap for D.O. "Hmm, I think D.O. is like an onion," she stated after some thought, earning snorts from Baek Hyun, Chan Yeol, and Su Ho while D.O. had a slightly hurt expression. Ri Ah looked up to see them holding back their laughter. "What I meant was," she quickly started explaining, "is that D.O. has a lot of layers. He can be rough and sarcastic sometimes, but underneath he's a very caring and gentle person. That's why I'm using sweet onions."

"Thanks Ri Ah," D.O. said to her, with a grateful expression before eating the wrap.

"Aww come on, sweet onions is too weak," Baek Hyun complained.

"You're so lucky Ri Ah made yours, D.O.," Su Ho pouted.

"Okay, now your turn D.O. How are you going to express your feelings for Hye Ri?" Baek Hyun asked with the same mischievous smile he had when he asked Chan Yeol.

D.O. looked at Hye Ri who was staring back at him in anticipation.

"How about using fish sauce?" Baek Hyun suggested as he pushed the bowl of sauce towards him.

D.O. remembered Hye Ri telling her that she didn't like fish sauce through their conversations. "Um, I don't want to use fish sauce," he said as he pushed the bowl back.

"Come on, everyone else had to eat something extreme," Baek Hyun urged, "although sweet onions wasn't exactly that bad," he muttered. "Even Ri Ah had chili sauce in hers."

"It's okay, D.O. Oppa, you can use fish sauce," Hye Ri said, not wanting to be a killjoy.

"Hye Ri says she's okay with it," Baek Hyun repeated.

D.O. gave in and started making the wrap. However, he didn't want to give Hye Ri something she didn't like, and so he hesitated in adding the fish sauce. But if he added too little, she would think that he didn't like her at all.

"Why are you taking so long? Hurry up!" Chan Yeol said in an irritated tone when D.O. was taking too much time deciding.

"Okay, okay," D.O. said in defense. In the end, he decided to add only one spoon because he didn't want Hye Ri to feel uncomfortable. But the others didn't know the motive behind him adding so little. Baek Hyun and Ri Ah were a bit disappointed at the amount since they thought D.O. really liked Hye Ri. Hye Ri was even more disappointed at how little he put in.

I guess he only sees me as a friend.

Finally, it was Hye Ri's turn to make a wrap for Baek Hyun.

"What should I do? Should I use chili sauce like Chan Yeol?" she asked the group.

"I suggest the garlic," Su Ho said.

"No, I think wasabi sauce would be better for Baek Hyun," Chan Yeol suggested with a glare at him, still remembering how Bake Hyun had put him in an awkward situation earlier and wanting him to feel the same pain he felt from Su Ho's wrap.

"Apparently he really likes fish sauce," D.O. said sarcastically, a little miffed that he was so pushy at using it for Hye Ri's wrap.

"Why don't you put a little bit of everything?" Ri Ah suggested.

"Should I?" Hye Ri asked.

"Wait a minute, that's going too far," Baek Hyun said with a  worried look.

"Why? You had no problem suggesting all those things when we were doing it," Chan Yeol pointed out with a taunting smile.

"Yeah, but-"

D.O. cut him off before he could defend himself, "Go ahead Hye Ri, put in everything."

Hye Ri did as told and added a little bit of everything: garlic, wasabi sauce, chili sauce, and fish sauce. As she wrapped up the final product, Baek Hyun looked at the bulging wrap with wide eyes.

"Baek Hyun-ssi, I hope you'll be able to understand your friends' feelings towards you since this wrap is really a product of everyone's suggestions," Hye Ri said with a smile as she held the wrap up to his mouth.

Baek Hyun gulped before slowly opening his mouth and eating the wrap. It didn't take long before the flavors exploded and he felt a burning in his nose from the wasabi. He started sweating from the chili sauce, and his taste buds screamed from too much garlic and the over-saltiness from the fish sauce. He doubled over in pain while the boys all laughed at him.

"Are you okay Baek Hyun Sunbae?" Ri Ah worriedly asked.

"Here's some milk to help with the spiciness," Hye Ri said as she passed him a glass of milk.

Baek Hyun took it and downed it quickly. He fanned himself afterwards as the pain started going down.

"You guys," he said between pants, "are trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"It's only because we love you to death," Su Ho said with a chuckle as he pat his shoulder, earning him a glare from Baek Hyun.

"Well now that that's over, can we go back to actually enjoying this dinner?" D.O. suggested.

They continued eating and chatting through dinner. After experiencing the deathly lettuce wrap, Baek Hyun didn't put any garlic, wasabi sauce, chili sauce, or fish sauce in his wraps.

The end of dinner approached, and Baek Hyun offered to take Hye Ri home with Su Ho and D.O. since the three had come together earlier. Ri Ah and Chan Yeol left together.

"That was a fun dinner," Ri Ah remarked as she and Chan Yeol drove home.

"The highlight was seeing Baek Hyun eating that killer lettuce wrap," Chan Yeol said with a laugh. "If only I recorded it," he said with a regretful sigh.

"He has such interesting ideas. I've never heard of expressing your feelings through lettuce wraps," Ri Ah said with a chuckle.

"Yeah…" Chan Yeol's voice drifted. Seeing how she's speaking of it so casually, I guess she didn't get the message from my lettuce wrap. He sighed. I guess this just isn't the time to tell her.

Author's Note

I had three different ideas for this chapter that I had to choose from so it took a bit longer for me to post an update. Sorry about that guys. I hope you guys liked Baek Hyun's mischievousness in this chapter. And even though he got punished for it with the deathly lettuce wrap, I don't think he's learned his lesson about butting into people's business hehe. Are you guys anticipating what Baek Hyun has planned in the future? - 8/21/12 10:10 PM