Ji-woo was utterly astonished at the sudden turn of events. Diego had, without a doubt, planted an unexpected kiss on her lips, thus confirming the accuracy of U-jin's prior claims. However, as she instinctively tried to reciprocate the gesture by embracing him, she noticed an alarming predicament. Diego stood bare, stripped of his clothing, leaving her feeling immensely embarrassed.
In a state of shock, she hastily pushed him away and frantically fled from the locker room, seeking solace in the refuge of her classroom. Desperate to conceal her emotions from prying classmates, she lowered her head onto the desk, careful not to reveal her blushing expression.
After a few minutes had passed, Diego cautiously entered the classroom. Ji-woo, determined to avoid confrontation, deliberately avoided any exchange of eye contact, pretending to engross herself in a book sprawled across her desk.
As the inevitable closing time approached, signaling the end of the school day, all students dispersed to their respective clubs. Unbeknownst to Ji-woo, when she ventured towards the back door of the classroom, she discovered that the very person she desired to keep at bay obstructed her path.
"Since we seem to be heading towards the same destination, shall we go there together?" Diego politely proposed.
"Of course, why not?" she responded, though her smile appeared somewhat strained.
As they commenced their walk side by side, Ji-woo noticed Diego's sidelong glances in her direction, causing her heart to flutter with apprehension. Never before had she experienced such nervousness when in close proximity to a male. It became abundantly clear now that U-jin's point of view is right. Ji-woo's affection for U-jin appeared to not be heartfelt. Instead of asking others for advice, she immediately concluded that her affection for him had grown deeper, intermingled with a sense of fondness. Such impulsive and self-assured decisions, she realized, often lead to unforeseen blunders in one's personal life.
"So... what is the nature of our relationship now?" Diego inquired, standing at the entrance of their music club room.
Ji-woo paused her footsteps, casting her gaze downward, while delicately tracing circles on the ground with her leg. Diego observed her actions with a smile of amusement playing on his lips.
"Do you wish to be my girlfriend?" he asked, drawing closer to her. Ji-woo beamed and nodded, merrily dashing into the club room.
Throughout the music practice, she maintained a radiant smile, capturing the attention and wonder of her fellow club members. They noticed that, unlike before, she made no mistakes during today's practice. For the past two weeks, she had often played the guitar with incorrect chords or executed the violin passages with excessive speed. It was only the piano that she excelled at. However, with her flawless performance today, they surmised that she had finally returned to her previous level of proficiency, having overcome the traumatic events that had happened to her three weeks ago.
"It seems you have fully recuperated," remarked Il-seong, their esteemed leader.
"I finally believe I have grasped it," she responded.
"To be honest, I had contemplated removing you from our group. Yet, your progress today is undeniable," he conceded.
"Well... thank you," she replied, her gaze shifting towards Kwan, whose countenance seemed perplexed. "Kwan, is something troubling you?"
Kwan appeared somewhat startled at first, but then replied, "I am well. Are we done yet? I have pressing matters to attend to."
"Il-seong, might we grant Kwan leave? She seeks your permission," Ji-woo kindly implored.
"Of course, in fact, the practice has already concluded. You have all done an exceptional job," he declared, rising from his seat and applauding twice before taking his leave.
Ji-woo and her clubmates meticulously arranged their instruments, preparing to leave. However, she made a spontaneous decision to stay and witness Diego's performance. After all, he had been the one who had taught her how to play the guitar, while Eun-woo had imparted his knowledge of the violin to her. She had been discovered that Eun-kyung had joined the special music group due to her exceptional talent in playing three different instruments. While Ji-woo was already proficient in playing the piano, she sought assistance from Diego and Eun-woo to master the other instruments. These past two weeks had been incredibly challenging, bordering on hellish, but thanks to her exceptional aptitude for learning musical instruments, she had managed to master the fundamentals quickly. With the guidance of her clubmates, today's performance had turned out spectacularly well. However, Ji-woo couldn't help but wonder if there was something else contributing to her success.
As Ji-woo let go of her thoughts, she fixed her gaze on Diego, who played the guitar flawlessly. The familiar sparks she had always felt when he taught her now held a newfound clarity. She realized that her fondness for Diego had reached an extreme level, but she wasn't sure when these feelings had started to take root. All she knew was that she wouldn't let him slip away, never.
After twenty minutes, Diego's performance with his group came to an end, and he approached Ji-woo, who gazed at him with admiration in her eyes. Unable to resist the moment, he tenderly kissed her cheek, causing gasps to escape from those who witnessed the affectionate gesture. Ignoring the reactions of others, Diego took the lead and guided his angel out of the room.
"Shall we go out tomorrow, considering it's the weekend?" he inquired.
"Really? I was actually thinking the same thing. It will be our first official date," she responded with excitement, causing him to laugh.
They made their way to the location where Si-woo's car was parked, and to their surprise, all of their friends were gathered there, with the exception of Mun-hee.
Curiosity piqued, Ji-woo approached them and inquired, "What's happening here?"
With a mischievous grin, Ga-ram retorted, "Oh, we just came to celebrate the two of you!" The new couple exchanged puzzled glances, uncertain of what exactly they were celebrating.
Si-woo interjected, "U-jin mentioned that you guys were doing..." but his words trailed off, causing the new couple to tense up.
Uncomfortable and embarrassed, U-jin scratched his head and admitted, "I didn't realize you two would be... um... in the locker room." His words only caused the new couple to blush in embarrassment.
Eun-woo crossed his arms and remarked, "Making out in the boys' locker room? If I were U-jin, I would have suspended you both!" Ga-ram swiftly smacked him on the head, exclaiming, "Don't ruin the mood, you brat!" Eun-woo, amused, tried to explain that he was being sarcastic, but Ga-ram was not having it.
The group then proceeded to discuss their plans for the following day. Eun-woo and U-jin agreed to visit Ji-woo's mansion to check out Si-woo's new game console, while Ga-ram, who needed baking equipment for her mother's upcoming birthday, would also get it from Ji-woo's place.
Ji-woo, holding Diego's hand affectionately, declared, "You guys are free to do whatever, but Diego and I have a date tomorrow!" Excitement filled the air as the group erupted in cheers.
"Wow... I guess I'll be all alone now," Ga-ram murmured playfully, feigning sadness.
Si-woo playfully chimed in, "There, there. When Eun-woo inevitably breaks up with his girlfriend, perhaps you two can give it a shot." Ga-ram, indignant, shot back, "Never! Even if he had a twin brother, I wouldn't date him either!" Her words carried a tone of amusement.
Si-woo warned, "Careful with your words. You never know what the future holds."
Eun-woo pouted and asked, "Do you really dislike me that much?"
"Ewww, stop that," Ga-ram retorted, making a disgusted face.
"Enough games," U-jin declared, walking away. "I'm leaving, Diego."
"Goodbye, angel," Diego said, kissing Ji-woo's forehead before running after U-jin.
"Awww, now that you're dating, I can focus on my personal life too, unlike certain people who ruin their own lives," Ga-ram said, looking pointedly at Eun-woo as she got into the car.
Ji-woo turned to him, concerned. "What did you do to her?"
Eun-woo sighed and answered, "It's because I want to break up with Ae-ra. Ae-ra has been acting strange lately, throwing tantrums over small things, but when she's with Ga-ram, she acts like an angel. Ga-ram doesn't believe me when I talk about Ae-ra's true character."
"Is that why I haven't been seeing her around lately?," Ji-woo asked. "Are you okay? It must be difficult for you to end such a sweet relationship." she continued.
Eun-woo nodded sadly. "I'll get over it. Thanks for asking, though."
"No problem. See you tomorrow," Ji-woo said, dragging Si-woo towards his car.
After dropping Ga-ram off, they headed home. Ji-woo informed everyone in the house that she was now dating and that the next day would be their first date. The mansion buzzed with excitement, as everyone helped choose the perfect outfit for the occasion.
That night turned into an impromptu fashion show, with Ji-woo's aunt acting as the judge, her maids as the fashion designers, and Ji-woo herself as their model. It took a lot of time before her aunt approved a dress, she chose a blue short dress with black polka dots and a black belt. The dress had long sleeves, but they were transparent at the hands, providing a delicate touch. The lower part of the dress was gathered elegantly.
With a collective sigh of relief, they all retired to bed.
The following day, Ji-woo decided to make snacks for her guests before their arrival. The maids assisted her in making croissants. Once they arrived, Ji-woo instructed the maids to serve the snacks with coffee and sent them out to play, she then excused herself to change in her bedroom.
A few moments later, she descended down the stairs, her dress unchanged from earlier. She then glided into the kitchen, where Diego, aware of her presence, covertly entered as well. To his astonishment, he observed her fervently attempting to prepare noodles.
Seized by a sudden impulse, he approached her stealthily and spun her delicate frame around, causing her pupils to dilate in surprise. Leaning in for a tender kiss, his advance was swiftly thwarted as an unsuspected blow landed square on his face, causing his nasal passages to release crimson rivulets. Dumbfounded, he gazed at her, his expression a mixture of bewilderment and pain.
"What on earth, Ji-woo?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with incredulity.
"The query ought to be yours, Diego," she retorted with a seething fury, her voice resonating through the kitchen. "What in the world were you attempting to do?"
Yet, her outburst was met only with a stunned countenance from Diego, unable to comprehend the gravity of the situation.