BUCKY was red from the tips of his ears to his neck as he settled the paper back on the table. "Is the last part really necessary? I mean, before the very last part?"

I turned back to him from looking around at the wide space he lived in and smiled. "Just a little joke. Keeps things interesting." I sat back down on the sofa, finished with my casual peruse of his living space. The couch had lumpy pillows and a bunched up quilt- comfort. He had placed an iced tea and some brownies, not pot filled at all, and again, I wondered indulgently if this was really a house for college students and not my grandma's.

"And it isn't like it's a lie, either." I winked.

Bucky retained his beet-red face and massaged it a little. He wore joggers and a black hoodie, again, several sizes too big for him. His hair was long and curled slightly over his eyes, shadowing half of his face.

As he tried to get himself in order, I looked around again. The house was simple, two-storey and three rooms, and was incredibly clean with simple, but obviously well-loved furnishings. No one could come here and guess that it housed three boys.

"So you live with your cousin, huh?"

He nodded, too glad for the change of topic. "Right now yeah. Law. He's in his last year. And Nam Gil, our roommate. Our parents bought the place just after my sister was born and opened it for rent. Student housing and all. When noona- Leia, my older sister, was in college, she stayed here for half a price. Now me, then Hermione soon."

"That's somehow really cute." I took the cold iced tea and took a sip. It was a nice mix of sweet and sour, the condensation thick between my fingers. I wiped my hands over my skirt, careful not on the tights. My eye caught the duck slippers I was wearing.

"We're an Asian household," Bucky said as he waved the slippers.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. "Duckies?"

"Duckies."

"Apart from the little quips, is it fine? We can sign it now and get started right away. I've already gone through my classes for the day." Monday was always a hit or miss, depending on what kind of horror show you had during the arrangement of your schedule, you suffer, you don't, or you suffer ten pits of hell. I had four alarms, a thermos full of coffee, and hair up when the schedules went up, and managed to get a decent time schedule, especially for my Advanced Classes.

"I have one more class later actually." He went back to the contract, biting his bottom lip. He pushed back his sleeves, showing slim but rigged arms. Veins popped in his hands to his arms, a faint hit of muscles. I watched these small actions, half fascinated, half frustrated.

"I guess I'll just sign wherever?"

"Yep." I opened my bag and took out a pen. "Here."

"Thanks."

His signature was nice and precise, his capitals large then spiraling into small curves. Something about the way he bent down, a serious expression resting on his face- not to mention the waft of his cologne. Or scent. Something very boyish and clean. And surprisingly - apples.

This should be illegal. I munched on my bottom lip, almost in refrain from smiling.

"Done." He offered back the pen and I took it, swiftly twisting my signature beside his. It was a very half-assed contract I made last night, funnier than it should be, but with both of our signatures done, it did feel right to have made it. I handed him the deed.

"It's official then. You're my student and I am your master." I made a face. "That sounded way too sexual than I thought. What would you like to study first?" He opened his mouth amidst the slight choke he made at my words, but my head churned, ideas bubbling excitedly. "How good are you at asking people out?"

He made a face, a hand through his silky hair. "Not very good."

I nodded. "The best way is first- find common interest and go from there. Do not use pickup lines unless you have to. They're like shaky grenades. It can explode in your face."

He blinked. "Really."

"Really. Let's go for this then. You like coffee shops right? How do you feel about playing pretend?"

"Pretend?"

"Here." I offered him another piece of paper, this time blank. "Write down the places you love and frequent to. Apart from campus of course. These would be the places you will most likely find your next date. But don't always ask people out in these places- you'd be classified as a Fisherman."

"Fisherman?"

"Fisherman- fishing for dates in spaces again and again. Never become a fisherman because then you'd have some sort of MO and might be identified as that guy who picks up chicks."

"MO?"

I started laughing. When he blinked again, bewildered, I covered my mouth and tried to breathe through it. "You're parroting everything I'm saying."

He scratched the back of his head, snickering lowly, before running his hand through his hair, letting it all flop. From the same, chin down expression, he met my gaze.

Jesus. I made the right decision by adding that last part. Unrequited, unconscious charm is strong on this one. It doesn't matter that he's got bunny slippers. It pulls the whole look.

"I mean, I am new at this. I'm not... very familiar with the vocabulary of 'The Art of Casual Dating'." He made jazz hands.

I laughed. "Okay, just. These places that you're going to write down are places that you favor and places you love, so the best thing to do is not to frequent picking up people from said places. Don't create an MO that matches you as a Fisherman. Later in the game anyway, we'll move this along actual clubs and bars, so that's fine. And soon you'll apply whenever you feel confident enough to do so or when you feel like you've found a good person. Or... you know, you just met a person." As he nodded, taking the pen again and sliding the paper closer, I nibbled at my lip from smiling. He obviously did not get that last reference.

"Oh, and this isn't a Google-able thing." He paused, as if he was planning to do just that. I shrugged. "It's just something my friends and I made up. 'Heartbreakers Club' thing, I guess."

"You're really stuck on that, huh?"

"Hard not to when apparently I'm famous for it."

"You're not famous for it." I made a face. "No, really. Before all of that... or maybe after, they do say that you are pretty."

I blinked, then almost shyly, "Am I?"

He nodded, not looking up as he continued to write. "Yeah. You are."

My heart. He's sincere. Bring only good tidings to this boy please.

"See what I did there?"

"What?" He looked up, almost like a deer caught in headlights.

I smiled gently. "That was called fishing for compliments. Person you're trying to woo might do that, but that's a big rule in 'The Art of Wooing'- not dating, but this is also good - give out compliments but only when the mood and timing is right. Now the when part is harder than you think, but if she doesn't fish for them, hand them out with confidence, with sincerity. Her looks and appearances are one thing- these, she can't control. But her clothes, her taste in music, in books - these mean something. And when you compliment these things, you acknowledge a piece they themselves love."

"Oh."

As he digested all of this, I blushed. "Okay, it also kinda sounds like spewed bullshit, I'm just rambling off the pieces in my head. But please continue- or are you done?"

"Uh, yeah. Not a lot of places. And I don't think you're just spewing bullshit. It sounds kinda amazing, actually. I feel like I'm learning a lot. You make it simple. Something tangent and make it easily digestible. It makes it easier for me to understand, and I know I don't say it, but honestly, thank you. This could revolutionize the way we think of dating. How your brain makes it out... it's one kind of brilliancy."

Silence.

I narrowed my eyes. "I feel like somewhere in there you used what I just taught you."

He smirked. An arrow raced to my heart. "Maybe."

Yep, no, if I survive this I should at least get a medal.

The next day after taking the paper and discussing my little idea, I headed to The End of the Pot right after my lunch. Situated somewhere close to campus where the prices didn't have to be monitored and they lowered it themselves to attract students, the coffee shop was Bucky's favorite place apart from the library, the bookstore, the dog park and the cinema.

The last part still made me laugh. The look of shock on his face made me itch for a quick snap.

"How would I try to woo a girl in a cinema?"

"Trust me. It has been done."

The place was quaint and filled with plants and shelves of books, like the intentional aesthetic that's been blowing over cafes as of late. Over the counter was an array of sweet treats that puckered my stomach, and black-clad baristas in glasses and brilliant smiles moving behind it. A light smoke emerged when milk hissed in a steam.

When I looked around, arm around my tablet and sketchbook, I zeroed in on Bucky on one of the cushioned seats. One long line couch with three separate tables and books and mirror framing the back of it. He had a cup on the table and a book between his fingers.

As planned, Esther was on the table next to him and I waved at her with a goofy smile. She rolled her eyes as I reached her.

"This is bizarre, Lynch," she greeted. She had drunk two lattes by the looks of it already, and her laptop was open, her quick fingers typing away. Just in time, a barista passed by the hand over another big mug of latte. "Thanks."

"Thank you," I echoed.

She turned to me. "Can I get you anything?"

"Water with lemon for now, thank you."

As soon as she left, Esther eyed me over her cup.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I owe you, I could be battling my word count right now."

Esther was a writer and a voracious one at that. She wrote prose-filled fantasy about power-hungry political families and pseudo-romance out of begrudge, that almost, always end up in tragedy. It was intense and she never skimmed over details so I've learned to prepare myself first before reading whatever she wanted me to beta over.

"And now you won't owe me." I carefully placed my things over on her opposite side and took a glance at Bucky's form without making it too obvious. He wore what I asked- a shirt that showed off some good toned arms and was tight but not too tight to get arrested for public indecency, jeans and cropped boots. His hair was styled not to appear styled at all, just enough to look put together in this sort of brooding, book reading guy with a look.

"How's our student?"

Esther sighed, moving away from her little world of blood, guts and battle-worn women. "He's like a sponge. You say one thing, he learns the thing plus some. We went over it six times, three different scenarios. First two, he failed. The third one, he was getting better, less nervous, less shaky. The last two- better. The final one, well." She nodded at him, immersed in his book, picking up the cup and sipping. "He's immersed. He's surprisingly good at method acting. Aren't you, Buck?"

Bucky doesn't turn. He didn't even twitch. A rare smile blossomed in Esther's lips.

"Alright, cut."

Just like that, Bucky was released from whatever magical voodoo Esther had over him. He smiled softly, eyes slightly glazed as if he was still stuck in the book he was reading. "Hi, Naddy. Esther's been teaching me how to act aloof and too cool for this world."

I held off a laugh. "That's brilliant." Esther was the best teacher Bucky could go for in terms of fixing his shy problem. Though we can't fix up his confidence all in one go, we can at least try to shield it at the first turn. With Esther as an English Lit major who has been active in theater since middle school, and her owing me, it was the best I could come up with. Plus, Esther was into girls and the fatally attractiveness of one Bucky Choi would not dent her in the slightest.

It was a win win.

I had classes to attend, so I just made sure they made a day out of it by themselves, but I can vouch to anyone who dares to dismiss Esther's acting chops- the girl could make a grown man weep with her acting. And since they've done six scenarios when I only asked for a few practiced ones, meant that she was softening up on Bucky.

Bucky looked like he would like more friends, and Esther was picky about the people she called her own, but it looks like it went way better than I could anticipate.

"How was it?" I asked as Esther went to grab my order and most likely order food. "How do you feel about it?"

"Exhausting but worth it, I guess." His smile was tentative and he kept his book in pristine condition, using his phone to mark the pages instead of folding it. Howl's Moving Castle winked at me. "Though I still feel shaky, Esther taught me some breathing exercises and I can hide the fact now that my chest hurts. Apparently, I am an incredible student."

"I called you a sponge," Esther said as she placed the glass and a plate of lasagna and fries. Mumbling a thanks with a sip, I smirked as she looked at him like 'ah, yes, my brilliant son. My creation'. "Let's not push it."

"Thank you, Esther," Bucky said sincerely.

Before I could make ways with Esther's expression, a girl strolled right at Bucky's table, forcing him to look at her. Esther and I exchanged looks and rearranged ourselves as if we didn't know him at all.

"Can you hear anything?" I asked.

"No, shit's too fucking loud." She blinked, as if just coming back to earth for the first time. "Is that a jazzy acoustic version of Baby Got Back?"

I paused. A laughter boomed somewhere in the cafe. Then I started giggling. "Oh my god, it is." I sneaked another peek at Bucky. "It doesn't look like he's hyperventilating."

"Could be a classmate." Esther shrugged, going back to her laptop. "Time me, Lynch."

"30 minutes?"

At her nod, I booted up my drawing app on my own tablet, sneaking glances at Bucky's expression and posture.

It was obvious he was startled, the way he flushed a little. He didn't look like he knew her, a slight fidgety quality to him. But as the girl talked and slowly sat on the chair opposite of him- I saw him eased into it.

And as if I was shocked into silence- a languid, small smirk twisted its way.

I turned to Esther, eyes wide. She pulled her face out of her laptop's cover to show me a slow smirk of mischief of her own, eyes glittering.

"What have you done?" I mouthed, half in horror, half in amusement. I took my tablet's pen but I couldn't focus.

After a couple more minutes, the girl stood up swiftly, eyes alight and neck slightly flushed, like she was surprised by her own movements or what had transpired, and left, grinning from ear to ear to a table full of other girls.

I turned to him fully. "What was-"

Bucky flicked a tissue, his smile big. "I have great teachers."

Right there was a scrawl of a number and a smiley face. Esther and Bucky high fived while I exploded in giggles.