214: PART ONE

It was around 4pm and Mingyu's date was getting nearer and nearer, he realized while choosing a tie for the evening. He was looking at himself in the mirror and imagined all of the things that could go wrong in his first date with this woman, Sana, whom he met a few days earlier at a newsstand. He liked her outgoing personality that caused him to ask her out on Valentine's day. No big deal. He was a bachelor at the young age of 24, after all. He couldn't love his single life more.

But if there's one thing he loves more than his crazy single life, it was his best friend-since-diapers Chou Tzuyu. As much as he cared not to admit, it was always at the back of his head, fighting his thoughts from time to time... That somehow she'll end up with him. Sadly, Tzuyu was happily in love with his boyfriend, Jun, who's both in their circle of friends. Jun was a dear friend of his since college and he always hated the fact that he was the bridge of the two.

She's happy and I couldn't think of anyone more perfect for her, he thought and he was right.  Those two were perfect for each other and it pains him more that he couldn't do anything about it but to walk away and hide his feelings.

He sighed, all the thoughts he kept thinking he locked somewhere deep in his mind keeps rising.

When he finished picking a tie he quickly checked his phone and saw one message from Tzuyu,

From: Diapers

Goodluck on your first date with that woman! I hope she's not a creep like that weird girl you dated before her. Kekeke~ Happy Valentine's day smelly diapers!

To: Diapers

Yeah whatever Diapeys. Just tell Jun I said hi.

From: Diapers

Sure. ;)

He smiled at her last messages and he didn't know why. Maybe he was finally starting to move on from someone he never even had. How ironic, his mind screamed.

To: Sana

I'm at your doorstep.

From: Sana

It's open, come in. I'm upstairs I'll meet you there.

Mingyu unhesitatingly opened her door as he's done it before with most of the girls he met.

Sana walked down her stairs wearing a black cocktail dress complimenting her curves, making Mingyu's jaw drop. He had to admit, Sana was the next best thing to Tzuyu. If he can't hit it off with her then maybe meeting Sana was his sign to stop.

"Wow," he uttered almost under his breath. "You look," he paused, searching for the right words to say. "Wow... Just, wonderful."

Sana smiled and continued walking towards him, "Thank you, that was exactly the reaction I was going for." She giggled softly making Mingyu's inside churn. "Just kidding. You don't look so bad yourself." Her eyes travelled up and down on his physique.

He slowly grabbed her hands and kissed the back of her palm, and he did not know why. There was something about this girl that made him forget Tzuyu for a second.

"Wow, that's a little formal,"

Sana, then again, giggled.

"I can't see how this night don't deserve the best, my lady." He smiled.

"That's cute,"

There was something about her soft, quiet laughs that made Mingyu wanted to make jokes forever if not his smooth moves as a ladies' charmer.

He led the way to his car, even opening the doors for his date tonight, to head to this restaurant called Pavs'. They talked on the way and made Mingyu see that she was in fact funny, warm and sunny, classy, sophisticated and hot all at the same time. He wondered where she could've been all his life.

"Here we are,"

After having themselves seated and settled, their waiter came in to give them their menus and the specials for the night.

"You know, while people think that Morocco's Slow Smoked Lobsters are from Morocco, it's actually from Japan and the Japanese people invented that, either."

"Really? Wow, that's interesting," she smiled as she drank the red wine offered earlier.

"Yup. I didn't know why I said that but... Well, it's a fact."

"No, no... Don't worry, I enjoy random trivia,"

"My friend, Wonwoo... He's the sous-chef here."

"Oh well then I'm sure I'm gonna love this place,"

The waiter came back for their orders, "Anything you want, sir?"

Any other night he would've said 'What I want? I want a lot of things. I want the woman I love for Valentine's day but instead she's off with just the best guy I know! It sucks that I want one moment of relief from that gut-wrenching pain seeing her kiss another man's lips when I know she should be with me but I know it's never gonna happen!'

But tonight, with Sana in front of him, everything was lovely and he just said "Lemon Salmon Turkey for me and a Caesar salad on the side. Sana, what do you like?"

"Your Ambrosia looks nice, I'll have those and a kimchi coleslaw salad please?"

"Can I interest you in our oldest scotch sir? A Mackenzie Roger 1946."

"No thank you, I'm driving." He smiled.

The waiter left with their orders.

"So, kimchi coleslaw salad, huh?"

"Yeah... It's kind of my guilty pleasure. Any more of those later you have got to stop me from ordering." She laughed, "Just kidding."

It never once crossed Mingyu's mind that his Valentine's this year would be this great, he never fathomed until now.

Their stories would match all the time, the kindred spirit was uncanny. But in the midst of their date his phone rang.

It was Tzuyu.

"Excuse me, I've got to take this."

"Oh sure, go ahead."

He stepped outside to answer his phone.

"Tzuyu, it's kind of a bad timing... I--"

"Jun broke up with me..." She said while sobbing.

"What?" He couldn't believe his ears.

"He said there's someone else,"

He noticed the brittleness of her tone and he can't help but feel that secondhand pain.

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't tell you this... Especially on a date night but... You're the first one I thought of. My mind wasn't really working when I dialed your number. I'm sorry Mingyu... Go back to your date. I'm sorry."

"O-okay." Right after he said those words, she hung up. He, on the other hand, snapped as he remembered Sana.

She saw him walking towards their table, "Hey, you don't look well... What's up?"

"Uhm, nothing..." But he was still in a bit of a trance. "Shall we order dessert?" He did his best to smile.

Sana noticed this new Mingyu who went back but, he liked the man too much. She wanted to spend more time with him, she thought it might possibly be something real after all these jerks she went out with.

"Okay, what do you want?" With her voice so sweet, she asked.

"Sana... You're gonna hate me for this but I'm sorry I really have to go,"

"Excuse me?"

Without another word left spoken, he dashed off from the restaurant. He couldn't careless about what Sana might feel.

Sure she was near to his ideal type...

But this was Tzuyu.

Nothing can compare to her.

Because she was his everything more than he cared to admit.