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"Come on, nothing bad will happen." He stretches his fingers out and takes a shaky breath. "This is just good practice. You don't need to expect anything out of it." "Okay." He suddenly stands up, eyes locked on the girl across the room like a lion to prey. "Oh my god," I mumble with my hand over my mouth. A part of me didn't actually expect him to do it, let alone suddenly turn into some confident god within seconds. I watch intently as he walks over with that charming smile, leg crossing over the other as he stands in front of the table. The girls all look up at him in awe, aside from the one he's vying for. She's staring down at her hands. Shit, I hope she doesn't already have a boyfriend. "What's Hansoo doing? He doesn't work today." A handsome Seungmin stands by our table as he watches what happens. "Approaching cute girl. Nervous. Getting him into the dating scene." I sound robotic as I watch with an open mouth. He giggles. "Hansoo? Hansoo hasn't been on a date since he got a job here!" "How long has he worked here?" I say, finally looking at him. "Almost a year now, just under. He's a lot more self-conscious then he lets off." Yeah, I saw a bit of that the other day. The mystery girl's eyes shoot up when Hansoo pointedly talks to her. Her friends stare with open mouths, clearly surprised that he's interested in the timid girl rather than her confident and admittedly hot friends. I can tell she's stuttering and I can't help but melt already. She's cute. Please talk to him. Please hit it off. Please just make him happy for a split second. My breath holds in my throat when Hansoo suddenly leans down to place his hands on the table in front of her. Her eyes seem to get even bigger and rounder, pink flushing on her cheeks as he speaks. "Poor girl looks like she'll pass out any second," Seungmin says. "Oh—" I look back at Seungmin from the sudden change in tone. His eyes are focused on the doors where a lean man walks over to the counter. "Oh, I have to go. I hope it works out!" He says excitedly before scampering away. The man at the counter immediately smiles when he sees Seungmin, his surprisingly deep dimples melting my mind for a moment and making me forget about what I'm supposed to be focusing on. Before I have time to look away, Hansoo is walking back to the table. Hansoo, with a cheeky smile. "So?" He just shrugs his shoulders and sits down. "Is she as cute as she looks?" "Definitely." I swear my heart is doing flips from the relief I feel. "Did you get her number?" "Yep." "That's amazing Hansoo! See I told you—" "Destiny." "What?" My smile drops. "I appreciate this and all but you can't just expect me to stop liking you all of a sudden." My body goes limp. "I know. But maybe it's the start of something. I just want to get your mind off of what happened, that's all." "I appreciate it." He looks just as down as before all of this and I shake my legs with anxiety. "Have you ever thought about getting a pet?" I suddenly ask. "What?" "A pet, to keep you company. Honestly Hansoo, I think you just have too much time to yourself." He rolls his eyes at me and huffs out in annoyance. "What, it's true. All you do is go to university and work and that's it. I'm right aren't I? You need something to do, or rather something to take care of. How about a bunny?" "I feel insulted." "Oh shut it, bunny or hamster?" "Too small, I might lose them." I suddenly remember the mess of clothes and things that littered his hallway, and I'm sure his bedroom. "Right. How about a bit more responsibility then. A cat?" "What is this, a reality show to help pathetic loners feel better about themselves?" "Hansoo," my eyebrows turn up in worry. "You're not pathetic. Maybe lonely, but not pathetic. So, a cat? No dog, they need a lot of attention and you already need a lot of attention yourself." I can't help but roll my eyes and he yells at me, but it turns into a laugh. "Attention seeker plus another attention seeker alone together equals bad situation. Cats are independent. They'll come to you when they really want to, not just because they're bored and insecure. They're pretty self-sufficient too so you won't have a lot of work to do. I'd give you Podo but he's technically not my cat." "Podo?" "Yeah, long story." Our conversation ends on a lighthearted note, and I'm eternally grateful. It wasn't looking so good for a while there but switching the topic to animals seemed to be a genius move on my part. Once I explain what it's like to live with Podo he actually seems convinced to adopt a kitten, after he does some research. I also caught his eyes flicker down to his phone when a message showed up, and when I turned to look at the mystery girl, she was shyly watching him. It's not much, but it's got to be a start. After this, I walk home with a lighter weight on my shoulders, ready to nurse my sick boyfriend back to health. ...