In campus, Eloise would hide whenever she sees someone who looks similar to Nikolai . It became a hide-and-seek game because she was worried about the consequences of bumping into him again. "Eloise , I think you should get help. Don't tell me you will be hiding like this for the rest of your life," said Katherine who was used a shield every time. "You have no right to say anything. If it wasn't because of you who stormed into the music faculty, I wouldn't be like this," said Eloise who was still being wary of her surroundings. "I already told you I am sorry like a hundred times, so please forgive me for that. As for this, I don't think this is the solution," said Katherine . "Then, what should I do?" asked Eloise . "Maybe you need a boyfriend. Someone who can protect you," replied Katherine . Her answer caught Eloise off guard. She then replied "I won't date anyone…"Katherine let out a loud sigh and said "I was wrong. You are not in love. You are sick," before walking away.
They were in the fashion faculty's building because Katherine had to get some work done for her project. Eloise who was scared of being alone tagged along. She just sat there and watched Katherine do her thing while the former was being admired by everyone else. Suddenly, a tall and handsome man walked inside. He was attractive and had a gentle smile too. He seemed to be kind since he greeted everyone in the room. "Brandon , glad you made it. I need you to try this on and see if it fits well," said Katherine . "Sure," he replied with a gentle smile. Anyone can tell that he is a well-mannered person and his looks are comparable to that of celebrities. As Brandon was trying on the jacket, he saw Eloise sitting on the chair alone. "Is that your friend?" he asked. "Oh, that's Eloise . We have been friends since high school," she replied. Brandon would steal glances at Eloise from time to time during the fitting.
"Alright. We are good to go with just a few small amendments," said Katherine once she was done recording the measurements. "That's good news. If you are free, we can go grab dinner," said Brandon .Katherine felt like she was on cloud nine since the handsome gentleman, Brandon Smith asked her out for dinner. "Your friend can come along too if she wants," he added. "Alright. I'll pack up and we can go. Wait for us for a moment then," said Katherine who rushed over to Eloise . "You are coming with me for dinner. You are going to be my matchmaker and help me get closer to Brandon . No questions asked," whispered Katherine . All Eloise could do was nod in agreement. Their dinner was Korean BBQ. During dinner, Brandon was being a real gentleman who kept putting food in their plates. "So, you are Eloise ?" he asked. "Yes, nice to meet you," replied Eloise . "My name is Brandon Smith. I am a model for Katherine 's project. I am from the fashion faculty as well," he answered. Eloise smiled so as not to be rude but she was feeling a little uncomfortable because she needed to help Katherine get with him.
"Brandon , you must be popular with the girls. Will your girlfriend mind seeing you eat with us?" asked Eloise , hoping to figure out if he has a girlfriend. "Well, I will definitely tell her if I have one," Brandon replied. "What type of girl do you like?" asked Eloise . "Let me see. I like someone who is calm, kind and caring," he replied with a smile. "Have you met someone like that?" asked Katherine , grasping onto hope. "I don't know…I might have," he replied with a smile. As Brandon paid for their meal, Katherine suggested they go for dessert. "I can't have desserts before the fashion show, so I will pass," said Brandon as a kind rejection. "It's okay then. We can go for tea then," said Katherine who was just trying to spend more time with him. "It's alright. You girls go ahead and have your dessert. I will join you next time," rejected Brandon . "Okay then. Safe trip home," said Katherine . He waved at them before he boarded the cab. Katherine could not stop blushing. "You look like Joker because you kept smiling," said Eloise who was teasing Katherine. "I can't control myself. Brandon is just so handsome! He is perfect! He is like a prince!" said Katherine who was completely in love with him.
On Friday night, Eloise was working part-time at the café. There were a lot of customers so she was busy serving and cleaning up. When it was finally time to close up, she was worn out. "Good job today," said Hank who offered her a smoothie. "You are the best boss, do you know that?" she replied with a smile. "Just because of a smoothie?" Hank answered, teasing her. "No~ I really mean it. No boss will care about an employee like this," she explained. "Well, it is because I treat you like my own sister," he said as he untied his apron. "I'll drive you home. Drink up and wash the glass," he added. "It's alright. I can go back by myself. The bus is still running," Eloise replied. "Listen to me or else I will cut your pay," said Hank as a threat. "Alright, oppa. Give me five minutes," said Eloise with a smile. She arrived home in a short time thanks to Hank . She has always regarded Hank as her older brother since she does not have any siblings. As for Hank , he too is a single child so he treats Eloise as his own sister and cares for her like a parent. She even received some donuts Hank bought for her.
It was the weekend and Eloise finished her part-time job early so she had time to go grocery shopping. At the mart, she was going through her shopping list when she came across the barley tea. It reminded her of her first encounter with Nikolai . She smiled just from thinking about it. Then, she pinched herself really hard. "Are you crazy? How can you smile when you think of him? That man, that thief, that pervert, Nikolai Gunther…" she murmured. "Why did you call my name?" asked Nikolai who happened to be there to buy barley tea. Eloise was so embarrassed and scared, she ran away. She didn't want to be acquainted with him because she was scared of him after hearing him say that he will eat her. "Why did I have to bump into him? I need to run before he finds me," murmured Eloise who was scared and nervous. She pulled up her hoodie and ran away. Little did she know, Nikolai was just standing around the corner so he overheard her little monologue. He smiled and said "I wonder how the bunny is going home…" as he held up a key that had a bunny key chain.
Eloise arrived in front of her home so she reached into her bag for her house key. As she kept rummaging, she realized it was nowhere to be found. "Did I drop it?" she wondered as she kept digging her bag. That was when she heard a jingle so she turned around. "You looking for this?" asked Nikolai who was holding onto her keys. "You stole my keys?" she asked in disbelief. "You dropped it when you ran away. I just picked it up," he replied. Then, he threw her the keys before leaving. He suddenly stopped and said "A gift for you," as he placed a box of her favorite barley tea. Eloise did not know whether to hate him or to thank him.
That night, Eloise could not sleep as she kept thinking about Nikolai . Since her mind was in a mess, she started to search for results to her question - How do you know it is love? In a forum, she found some pretty decent answers - 'When you feel like your heart is about to beat out of your chest' or 'When your whole body just burns when he looks at you' or 'When you can't stop thinking about him'. All of these were exactly what Eloise was experiencing. She murmured "Is this how my first love is going to be? Me falling for a pervert?" Eloise opened the drawer by her bed and took out a frame that had her photo with her mother. With her delicate fingers, she touched her mother's face in the photo. "Was this how you felt when you loved dad?" she murmured. Without her realizing, tears started to roll down her cheeks.