As Mia hurriedly rushed to the exit of the Cho household, Bella saw her out.
"Sorry about freaking out, I just don't feel comfortable with Mark seeing me like this. It feels weird," Mia told Bella, subtly catching her breath as she began shaking a little. This day was just not going well for her.
Upon noticing this, an understanding Bella sighed. "It's ok, doll," she responded, hoping those three words would comfort her. "My brother's a total douche so I totally get it. And not to mention how he practically embarrassed me in front of you earlier," Bella said whilst she recalled her brother's tragic fall. How much weirder could he get? Bella wondered as she seemed to stare at nothingness.
"Anyway, maybe we could continue this on Saturday? It's when I'm free again since I'd be finished with all my homework and studying for our first exam in history so," Mia looked at Bella with a tinge of hope in her eyes. "I just really want to get a hang of everything. Sorry again for being so difficult to help though."
Bella slightly let out a giggle. "As studious as ever," she commented. Mia was always one for being so focused on her studies, being the top of their class and all for ever since she could remember. Too bad all that studying couldn't rub off on her.
"Also stop saying sorry," she continued, "You literally just said it like a minute ago."
"Yeah, but it was for a different reason," Mia explained.
Bella shook her head at her best friend in a playful sort of way. She then placed her hand on Mia's shoulder. "I can seriously never get tired of you. You always seem to find a way to be amusing. I sure wish my brother who," Bella's eyes shifted to the sandals her brother used earlier, "stupidly wears socks with sandals," she then looked back into her best friend's eyes, "would see that too."
Mia smiled a little. She wished for that too -- only because by then at least she would have one less thing to worry about.
"Well anyway, if he ever does so we'd have to celebrate. Moving onto a different subject though, I should be the one saying sorry because I won't be free on Saturday. I'm hanging out with a special someone," Bella wiggled her eyebrows. Mia got it quickly. The two then decided to just have another girls' hangout session on another day they were both free. After that, Mia went back home, wondering how cool it must be to have a boyfriend like Bella.
On a fresh Saturday, sitting by the cafe she told Zack they'd meet at, Bella was thinking the same thing. She was incredibly happy to have him. She grinned to herself as she held onto the black straw of the pearl milk tea she was drinking, using it as a utensil to mix her cold beverage. She could still remember the first time she saw him.
It was on a really hot weekday. Bella was too lazy to go to Mark's university. She was an object at rest who didn't want to be disturbed, but just like in Newton's "Laws of Motion" that stated, "An object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by another force." In order to get moving, the force of her mother had to move her. That was why she had to sit on a bench, under the crazy hot sun. At first, she couldn't be more irritated, but as she saw a tall lean figure leaning against a tree and looking closely at his phone, she couldn't be more grateful for her mother and good ol' Sir Isaac Newton.
Here goes another few minute crush, she thought to herself as she made the most of the moment. The boy was probably around her brother's age or maybe even older. She wasn't really sure. What she was most sure of though was that he was definitely taller than her brother. He seemed to be as tall as those K-pop idols with the long legs. It was so obvious, especially with those khaki pants wrapped around his thighs. He's probably a six footer, her mind figured. She thought he was perfect (already), but of course, things were just getting better. He wasn't just as tall as those K-pop idols. In fact, he looked like an idol himself. She wondered if he had ever become a trainee or perhaps, could be a trainee even now. She supposed it would be cool if he was. If so, she could tell Mia about it once she'd get home. Mia would be totally shocked for sure.
As Bella was enveloped in the entrancing aura of who she regarded as her new temporary crush, she was caught off guard by her brother who had pressed a cold bottle of water against her cheek to get her attention.
"What the hell?!" Bella jolted. Her skin stung with the cold. Mark, with his usual serious expression, told her in response, "I was calling your name, but couldn't get your attention. I figured this would wake up your nerves and get your brain working. What were you staring at anyway?" Mark turned over to where he figured Bella was looking at. Not wanting her older brother to know that she was staring at a boy, she quickly stood up and pushed her brother away.
"OK so where are we going?" She said in a rush.
"Hey stop pushing." Mark stood up straight and distanced himself from his sister a little so she wouldn't push him anymore. "Our university's canteen. Eomma is waiting," he said.
"Yeah, ok. Let's go," Bella smiled nervously. Mark scoffed then started walking to the canteen. Before Bella followed him, she decided to take a little glance first at the boy she was looking at. If ever, this was the last time she would get that eye candy. As she turned to look at him though, she saw him looking back at her, even shooting her a smile. This startled her and made her quickly follow her brother. She felt her face heat up. Damn was that a nice dessert, she happily thought to herself as she began walking (and probably nearly skipping out of so much joy) to Yonsei's canteen.
Unbeknownst to Bella though, she was just about to get luckier, because that wasn't going to be the only time she would be able to meet him.
"Hey princess," Zack woke Bella up from her daydream of reminiscing over what had happened a few months ago. She turned to him, startled. He was once again wearing that charming smile. As a response, she smiled back at him.
"You surprised me," Bella blushed. She couldn't help herself. Her boyfriend was too handsome for her. Her heart wouldn't even calm down.
Zack sat on the chair beside her. "Have you been waiting for me too long?"
Bella sipped on her drink. "A little maybe," she shrugged.
Zack made a face expressing worry. Then, in a split second, he held onto Bella's hand. Her heart was pounding even more. He looked into her eyes. She could swim in those dark brown eyes anytime even if she'd drown. OK now her heart was getting crazier. If he kept this up, her heart might just pop out of her chest.
"I told you that I would be a little late," Zack said in his usual deep soothing voice. "I could have picked you up, you know. I wouldn't want my princess waiting so long," he continued.
Bella was practically squealing in the inside. She could kill to hear that latter part again.
Flushed, she quickly retracted her hands then slid a few of her hair strands over her ear. "It wasn't that bad," she told him. "You know you can't pick me up though, because then my brother would know about us. We wouldn't want that to happen. Besides, I wanted to try this milk tea too," she explained, giving him a smile.
With his elbow resting on the table, Zack laid his head on his hand as he looked at Bella -- with a smile, of course. That faint smile that would make any girl feel his fondness for them. Thanks to it, Bella could feel her face heat up (again). She put her hands right up to her cheeks, hoping there wouldn't be any sort of a blush of red showing on her face. As a result, her cheeks were sort of squished. Zack laughed at this then gently moved her hands away from her face.
"Don't cover your face. I don't want to miss a moment of being able to see your gorgeous face."
Those words again. He just gained another point that had made her fall in love with him more. Oh and also, it reminded Bella of their second encounter.
Her mother had told her to rush to the nearest convenience store from their house to go get some milk cartons -- according to her mother it was the house they used to live in in Seoul. She begrudgingly followed since she was left with no choice, considering her brother was too busy helping their mother out with the cooking. It was a good thing though, because she got to see him again that day.
Walking through the aisle to find milk, Bella stumbled upon him. He held a pack of cigarettes in his hand and had an unlit one on his mouth. How hot, she thought. So he was the bad boy type. Well, being a bad boy certainly wasn't out of question though. The pack of cigarettes was only the confirmation she needed. After all, he sported a black shirt that was tucked in black jeans. The guy also had a dangle earring on his left ear. And lastly, he had eyeliner on, emphasizing his mesmerizing expressive eyes.
"You were the girl from the other day," he said rather cheerfully, even pointing at her.
Bella flinched. So he remembered.
"It's nice to see you again. Your Mark Cho's sister, right?" He went on. Bella blinked. He was the first person in Korea other than her brother, mother, and extended family members who talked to her in English. And to be fair, he was really good at it.
"Y-yeah," Bella stammered. So he knows Mark, she reckoned.
"Figured since I saw you with him earlier. You two also had the same vibe. Well, the family sort of vibe, that is. You seem kind of different from Mark. You seem friendlier and not to mention, beautiful and attractive," he smiled flawlessly even if he had that cigarette in his mouth.
Bella blushed. The thoughts of how he could be so angelic even with his bad boy look and how he was the first person (other than her mother) to have said such compliments to her slipped in her mind. Guess he wasn't all that bad after all. But wait, did she die? Was she in heaven? Because she was so damn lucky today. This seemed way too good to be true. Nobody would have told this to her at school.
Bella shrugged in her mind. Well, even if it was, she could still at least enjoy it. Way to go to Eomma for pushing her to that university and now the convenience store, she cheered.
"Thanks, I guess." Bella bit her lip, trying to not let a smile break through.
"Zack," he grinned, reaching out his free hand. "Zack Go."
Bella took and shook it.
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Bella paused for a while. Smiling at the thought that she had gotten his name with little to no effort, she continued, "Zack Go."
"Well, I take it you ain't from around here," he said after plastering a faint smile filled with some fondness on his face.
"Yeah, well," Bella shrugged. "I'm actually from the US of A. Y'know? 'Hambugah country'?" She raised her hands to make jazz hands while simultaneously hoping he would get the joke and wondering why she even decided to make a geeky VR joke. He isn't even Japanese like the hambugah country VR girl.This is why she could never get a boyfriend. Well, it's goodbye now to those chances with him, she figured.
"Didn't know you were a gamer," he chuckled.
Bella sighed in relief. He actually got the joke. She wondered if he was a geek too, because if so, then those would be major plus points.
"I guess I kinda am," she shrugged. "I usually just watch VR videos, so," she grinned a bit. "Anyway," she continued, attempting to change the subject. "You a local here? Because if so, you're pretty good for a local to speak in English," she told him as a way of complimenting him. It was sort of like another "thank you" for his compliment earlier.
When he didn't answer though, she feared he had gotten offended. "Sorry," she quickly apologized, hoping to save herself from this conversation. "I didn't mean to -- I just. Your accent is just different from other Koreans I've come across here so far."
Zack smirked at her. How interesting, he thought. He took out a lighter from his pocket and attempted to light his cigarette before the lady by the cashier scolded him in Korean. He turned to the woman and apologized, putting back his lighter where he had gotten it and taking the cigarette off of his mouth. He turned back to Bella.
"You got your answer?" He asked.
Bella looked at him with confusion.
"Sorry," she apologized again. "I actually don't speak or understand Korean," she admitted to him which had frankly, surprised him.
"I see," he simply said. "Well, let's just say I got scolded for attempting to smoke in a convenience store in Seoul," he smiled. He then looked at the cigarette that was placed between his pointer and middle finger as he said, "Don't know about you, but I guess it's sort of a clue that I'm not from around here."
"You aren't?"
He nodded before bending over to her ear and saying, "Let's just say not all Chinese sons follow rules."
Two things shocked Bella by this time. The first was the fact that he seemed pretty good in Korean for someone who wasn't -- maybe he grew up in Korea -- and the second was how she basically felt his breath tingle on her ear.
She gulped as he bent back over to his former position -- being about a foot away from her. He grinned as he told her, "You look cute when you blush."
"So where do you wanna go?" Zack asked her as he held her hand. Bella didn't answer.
Zack squeezed her hand a little, bringing her back to her senses. She was practically whisked back to reality. She shook her head a little. "Sorry," she apologized. "I was just thinking about something." She smiled as she looked into his eyes.
"And what was it you were thinking about?" He smiled back at her.
Bella felt like cupid had just shot another arrow to her heart. She probably wouldn't ever get tired of falling in love with him over and over again.
"How lucky I am to have you," she simply told him. This made Zack smile a bit more.
Bella sighed a sigh of happiness and contentment. What she had said was true. In fact, she had probably never felt anything more true than this. She hoped one day Mia would be able to feel this way too. One day.