.  “My sister from my neighborhood.”


  “Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!”


  “Dude, then it’s not illegal for you to marry her, right?”


  “Shut up.”


  Ban Yeo Dan finally showed a massive frown on his face and took their hands off of his shoulders. Regardless of his reactions, the guys continued their laughter brightly as they stretched out their hands towards me.

  I grabbed their hands in surprise as each of them frantically offered me a handshake. They all said with a smiling face.

  “Hey, I thought Ban Yeo Dan was blocking all the girls coming after him except for her sister! So you are his neighborhood sister, right?”


  “Huh? Yeah.”


  “Take good care of our Yeo Dan! Now I can die with no regrets…”


  He then pretended to wipe away the invisible tears on his eyes theatrically. The rest of the friends supported this gesture of his and started to show a pained expression on their faces.

  Soon they all shouted in unison with hoarse voices.

  “Mama! Please don’t go yet!”


  “My wish for life was for Yeo Dan to have a pretty wife… cough… I was urging myself to live on up until now so I could see my wish granted with my own eyes. Now, my time has come.”


  “Mama!”


  “My dear son…”


  As I had a war on myself in my head, I looked at them while it looked as if they were shooting a movie in front of the hundred girls around.

  Opposites attract. I thought that since Yeo Dan oppa was too cold-hearted, maybe the people surrounding him might have turned nuts.

  When I turned my head to look at my left side, I saw Yeo Dan oppa staring at them with eyes filled with annoyance as he quietly placed his bag on his back once again. He pulled Yeo Ryung’s wrist abruptly and turned around to be on his merry way.

  Before he left, he looked at me before he spoke.

  “Donnie, let’s go.”


  “Oh, okay.”


  I, who was standing blankly, started following him with a dumbstruck expression. Before I stepped forward, I turned my head back to look at Ban Yeo Dan’s friends. They were surprisingly waving their hands at me with bright faces.

  I gave them a confused smile as I turned my back on them to be on my way. Their voices were too loud that I could hear their conversation loud and clear.

  “Yeo Dan! Mama… mama believes you! I hope you’re happy!”


  “Bro! Be happy together from here on!”


  Ban Yeo Dan oppa moved his steps at a fast pace, but he still managed to spit a word at them as he heaved a deep sigh.

  “Jerks…”


  He then raised his fingertips so he could brush it on the tip of his nose to show his annoyance. All I could do was just to stare at him with a smile. Ban Yeo Dan said those words out of spite, but honestly, I did not feel any hostility in his voice. Hehe.

  When we got out of the elevator and stepped on the hallway of our apartment floor, we shared a few words with each other to tell ourselves that we would see each other later. Then I went inside my house and changed into a more casual outfit.

  Yeo Ryung’s mother was running late from work, so my mom decided to go with her. This was why my dad was about to drive the car at the moment.

  It was dark outside when we all descended to the underground parking lot to ride our car. My dad and Yeo Ryung’s dad were sitting in front of the car while Yeo Dan oppa, Yeo Ryung, and I were sitting orderly in the backseat.

  The car was not big enough for three people to sit in a row. Especially since it was uncomfortable for a guy to squeeze in, but we couldn’t do anything about it.

  Seoul Station was not that far from our house. Therefore, Yeo Ryung’s family and my family went to the Chinese restaurant near the Station with ease.

  * * *

  We sat on the 2nd floor of the restaurant. From where we were sitting, we could enjoy the sight of the buses running along Seoul Station, the bright streets, and the famous shopping outlets as they all lit up at night.

  The darkness of the night now turned the sky into a canvas blackened with ink, and the street lamps were standing tall underneath the sky, spreading out their yellow light below. Through the window, a cold breeze blew into where we sat.

  As I sniffled my nose for I was feeling chilly while looking over the window, Yeo Dan oppa asked me if I wanted to change seats with him. I said it was okay and sat straight, waiting for them to serve our meal.

  Soon the waiters served the food to our table. We enjoyed the full course meals including yangjangpi, yoosanseul, and tangsuyuk.

  Although Ban Yeo Ryung had a beautiful figure, it did not mean that she ate only a small portion per meal–the Law of the Web Novel Article 7 stated that The Female Protagonist Eats Like a Horse. Then the Male Protagonist Enjoys Watching Her Eating But Grumbles ‘Stop Eating, You Pig’ When Their Eyes Meet–Yeo Dan oppa also eats a lot just like Ban Yeo Ryung.

  After finishing our meals, we were now waiting for our dessert, Sujeonggwa, to arrive. It was then when I suddenly felt the call of nature.

  I really did not want to go to the bathroom in this complicated and huge 4-story Chinese restaurant building. My mind was regretting as to why I did not respond to the call of nature beforehand. What was I supposed to do though? I was already out of my house. When I stood from where I sat and told them I would go to the bathroom, my dad said I should go on.

  As I opened the sliding door to wear my sneakers, I saw that my shoelaces were untied. There wasn’t any place to sit, so I tied my shoes while standing, which made me almost fall headfirst. Then, someone held my waist strongly out of the blue before I tumbled down.

  When I looked at the slim arms wrapped around my waist, I thought the one supporting me was a woman; however, these arms possessed the power women like me lack. As I raised my head with that thought in mind, a blonde hair shining a gold hue beneath the orange lampshade came into my sight.

  I gazed at her vacantly for a second then opened my mouth slowly.

  Yi Ruda was wearing a white shirt with a neat gray sweater on top. What she was wearing under was a nicely washed out skinny jean. That outfit and her appearance looked as if she popped out from an editorial in a foreign magazine. The people glancing at us from a while ago found nothing strange about it.

  Soon as I gathered my senses, I started blinking. Yi Ruda was dropping her gaze at me. The blush on her cheeks seemed to have shown her glee after seeing me.

  What the… what are the odds of both of us meeting each other in this place when there were thousands of Chinese restaurants in Seoul? As soon as I thought of this, a foreign gentleman who was wearing a decent gray suit stepped forward from behind.

  His straight nose, deep blue eyes, delicately well-defined features, and the sharp bladelike ambiance around him made him look as if he was a godfather of a mafia. At least in my eyes.

  His eyes got wide-opened when he found us. He strode to our direction and asked Ruda.

  “What are you doing?”


  I could understand that level of English. ‘What are you doing?’ It was such a textbook style everyday expression; however, when it came out from a handsome foreigner’s mouth, it sounded like he was speaking an elegant and posh language.

  Ruda stared at me blankly for a moment then turned back to look at the person who seemed to be his father. She then asked back in a serious face.

  “Dad, why are you speaking in English?”


  “Oh, I’m sorry.”


  The man then responded in fluent Korean which truly surprised me.

  Yi Ruda then turned back to see me with a bright smile on her face. She introduced her father without hesitation which I never asked for.

  “Donnie, this is my father, Ian Reed. People usually call him Ian. Dad, this is my friend I met today in school.”


  The foreigner’s blue eyes slowly moved to see me. I looked at Yi Ruda’s father, Ian, absent-mindedly but soon lowered my head hastily.

  When I was about to say, ‘Nice to meet you, my name is Ham Donnie,’ and bow politely, the sliding door soon opened. My waist was bent, but I still managed to turn my head to look at that side.

  Who stood in front of the door was my dad with a cigarette in his fingers and Ban Yeo Ryung’s dad.

  My dad looked as if he got a conclusion in his head as soon as he saw me. The next thing he did was to go toward Yi Ruda’s father, Ian, who was standing blankly and stretching out his hand confidently for a handshake.

  My dad said, “You know, my daughter still needs to grow up. What did that little monkey do wrong? I’ll apologize on behalf of her.”


  “…?”


  “Oh, Donnie! What are you doing? You should bend your waist more politely!”


  Ian grabbed my dad’s hand for a handshake instinctively but still looked confused about the overall situation. I realized then the misunderstanding on his part and shouted to my dad.

  “No, dad! I did nothing wrong!”


  “Didn’t you break the dishes or something like that?”


  “No, I didn’t!”


  “Or spilled water to that gentleman’s suit?”


  “No!”