CHAPTER 5

Though Bree thought it was awkward to be a task, she ended up texting him anyway. Min Lee Yeon was the most popular kid on her campus. He is slim and has got short burgundy hair. She started daydreaming about how they met two years ago. It was raining cats and dogs that Sunday at the campus. The first years were required to partner up for an assignment. Bree wasn't used to meeting new people and working together as a team. Lee Yeon was exactly like her. He wasn't used to working with people on projects.

Bree saw him standing alone in front of the library, shivering slightly from the breeze of the rain. She approached him slowly, trying not to look him in the eye. Yeon smiled at the sight of her. The stubble around his mouth shaped his smile making it seem larger than it was. All of a sudden he leaned towards Bree, on the count of her being too short for the six-foot-tall kid. His long burgundy hair falling perfectly on his forehead like the nerdy Korean, that he was. He was standing over Bree like a tower. She flushed so red that even a tomato wouldn't look as red as her face at that moment.

"Hey, I'm Yeon! Nice to meet you. You are?" he handed her his hand indicating he wanted a handshake.

"H-Hey! I'm Bree. Nice to meet you too! If you don't mind, could we-" she was starting to stutter but he cut her off.

"Be partners for the assignment? I was going to say the same thing! Great! So, I'll send you the details for the first part and you wrap it up? Is that alright with you, Bree?" he asked her with a concerned look.

"S-Sure! I'm going to get started. See you, Yeon!" she got out of there as fast as she can.

That was pretty much the last time Bree had spoken to him. With that being said, it was bold of her to text Yeon all of a sudden about a date. She didn't expect a positive reply but at the same time, she had to somehow get him to go out with her for the sake of her brothers. She focused on getting her nails done more than getting a reply from Yeon.

*At the beauty parlour*

Bree decided to go with a combination of jet black and barn red with spider prints on the edges of her toes. At the very last minute, she decided to get a manicure in the same colours but in a slightly different design. Her index fingers had spiders in jet black with a barn red background and the other fingers were half and half in a matte shade. She looked like she was getting ready for a Halloween play as a witch.

After Bree paid the nice lady for such wonderful nails, she received a notification. It was from Yeon! She was nervous to open it. She wanted to know but she did not want to know. She was always afraid of dates, so she had never been on one before. She was not really a fan of relationships. She hated the idea of it because she had seen how her father treats her mother. She was like a slave to him. Her mother did it all! From paying the bills to taking out the trash. She would help her mother occasionally if she wasn't busy with her school but her father, on the other hand, never lays his finger on the household chores.

Bree's parents indeed enjoyed each other's company. However, she remembered how her mother used to be so frustrated that he never helped out. Instead, he stood there and complained about everything she does. She felt sorry for her mother often. She remembered that one time when her father was mad because his favourite handkerchief was missing and he blamed her mother. He said it was because she was too careless when doing the laundry. Bree had never seen her mother so upset over something so small. She instantly understood that her father had exceeded his limit. She never looked at him the same. Ever since then, she hated men. Especially men who take everything for granted.

Finally, Bree had gathered the courage to take a look at Yeon's reply. She was stunned at his reply. He said it was a coincidence as he was about to ask her out himself. She was red as a tomato at that moment. They decided to meet up at The Chef's Cuisine at nine in the evening. Bree was so nervous. She didn't know how to start the topic that she was asked to bring up.

Bree decided it was best to go with the flow and see how it turns up. Little did she know what she was about to discover was far beyond her expectations. Even though she had a date, she decided to go with her everyday goth outfit choice. She finalised a black satin knee-length dress with red high heels, almost seven inches. She was very confident. So confident that she left her pepper spray at home.

*at the restaurant*

"Bree, you have no idea how long I have been waiting to take you out on a date. Ever since we first met, I was mesmerised by every single thing that you did. The way you smile at me when we make eye contact to the way you side-eye me from the front row. Everything about you is just amazing!" Yeon got a little bit excited.

"Me too! Quick question! How did you know I was side-eyeing you in class?" Bree was flushed like a strawberry.

"Mike told me, of course! He had an eye for you but he instantly backed off when I told him that I liked you. He's really great. You two should get to know each other, don't you think?" Yeon let out while sipping his iced tea thinking it was wine.

"Y-Yes! That'd be great!" Bree smiled.

"Also, I heard about your mother. My deepest condolences, babe. I wish I could have been on a date with you sooner so that I could have been a shoulder for you to cry on. I'm sorry. How are you guys holding up?", he came out with that suddenly.

"We're doing fine, thank you for your concern. Wait! Did you just say, my mother? You mean to tell me you didn't know my father was involved in that crash too?" Bree said in a sarcastic tone.

"They never found your dad's body, Bree! They only found one! And she was said to be murdered!" he exhaled.