I get home with mixed feelings. I feel exhilarated, finally getting to know the Kim Taeyeon but at the same time, it’s a lost cause, since there’s no way I want to break someone’s relationship. I admit I don’t want to be just friends with her because it’s definitely attraction at first sight.

 

I wash my face and change my clothes into comfy pajamas before I charge my cellphone on my bedside table and lay down on my bed. I’m thinking about Kim Taeyeon again and how to get out from getting further into it when my cellphone buzz. I take it and it’s a text from Soonkyu.

 

Soonkyu: SOOOOO? Do I get a thank you or what?

Me: Thank you my ! I did not give you my permission to set me up like that.

Soonkyu: Your smile throughout the whole night says otherwise.

Me: I don’t want to be rude to your friends.

Soonkyu: Thank you for not being rude to my friends. Now let’s get down to business, shall we? I already introduced you my cute friend. What do you think we should do next?

 

Wow, this Lee Soonkyu is really something. I feel like throwing my cellphone to the wall.

 

Me: Soonkyu, I already told you I don’t want to ‘steal’ her from her girlfriend.

Soonkyu: And I already told you, you won’t be stealing! It’s the exact opposite of that, you’ll be saving her from her sorrowful love life.   

Me: She didn’t look sorrowful at all.

Soonkyu: Because she’s good at hiding it. You may not notice it, but her supposedly girlfriend didn’t contact her at all today. And to think that today’s Saturday. Nobody is that busy on a Saturday.

 

Come to think of it, Taeyeon did check her cellphone countless of times. She’s waiting for her girlfriend’s reply, wasn’t she?

 

Me: Well I still think that ruining someone else’s relationship is wrong.

Soonkyu: How many times should I tell you that it’s not wrong, Miyoung-ah?

Me: It is!

Soonkyu: It’s not if the relationship is wrong from the beginning!

Me: Look, I don’t want to have a fight with you because of this. So please, Soonkyu-ah, just drop it?

 

She doesn’t reply for some time.

 

Soonkyu: Fine.

Me: Thank you.

Soonkyu: BUT at least be her friend? She’s new in town and it’s always nice to have more friends.

 

I heave a sigh. Being friends is never an option for ‘attraction at first sight’.

She types again before I finish thinking.

 

Soonkyu: My ulterior motives aside, I can see that she really likes your company and she’s not really a sociable person to begin with.

 

I sit up reading what Soonkyu just told me. Kim Taeyeon likes my company? Can’t help to smile. I reread it again and I guess…….

 

Me: Sure. Being friends won’t hurt anybody.

 

It won’t, right?

 

*

 

Days go by without Soonkyu contacting me again. My days went as usual, nothing went out of ordinary, but once or twice I would find myself looking intently at Soonkyu’s profile picture.

 

Ugh. How I wish Kim Taeyeon was single.

 

I get home after work on Friday and I just put my bag on my room when Soonkyu sends a message.

 

Soonkyu: Hey, Miyoung-ah~

Me: Helloooo~

Soonkyu: What’s your plan for tomorrow?

Me: Nothing. Lazing around, I guess.

Soonkyu: Wanna go out with me instead?

Me: GASP! You’re asking me out, Lee Soonkyu?!

Soonkyu: You wish! I still like those alpha males.

Me: hehehehehehehe

Soonkyu: So? Do you want to? There’s this new movie I want to watch.

Me: Just me and you?

Soonkyu: Nope. With the other two~

Me: Jessica and Taeyeon?

Soonkyu: Yep. You’re so smart! And before you imply on anything, IT IS NOT a set up. I ask the two before I ask you, and Taeyeon said (I quote), “Will Tiffany come along? She’s fun.”

 

Well there goes my heart beating faster again.

 

But wait, what if Soonkyu still has the intention to match-make and this is her strategy? What if she and Jessica won’t turn up tomorrow so it’ll only be me and Taeyeon?

 

Soonkyu: You can bring your friend too, Miyoung-ah. The more the merrier :)

 

Oh. I guess she’s over the mission to break Taeyeon’s relationship.

 

Me: Okay then. I’ll ask my roommate to come along.  

 

“I’m home!”

Right on time! My roommate just comes home. I rush outside to see she’s taking off her shoes.

“Hi!” I approach her.

“Oh, hey. You’re home already?”

“Just came in before you.”

“Ah, okay.” She straightens up and stare at me who stand right in front of her, “What’s wrong?”

I smile, “Are you free tomorrow? Please tell me you are.” I put my hands together.   

“I am surprisingly clients free tomorrow. Why?”

I smile wider, “Wanna go for a movie? My friend invites me and she said the more the merrier, so why don’t you join us?”

“Your college friend that you usually hang out with?”

“Yep!” I nod enthusiastically.  

“Sure, why not?” she says while walking to her own room.

“Cool~” I try to contain my excitement.

 

I stand still on my spot until I hear her door being close before I dance happily. I’m going to meet Taeyeon again tomorrow!  

 

*

 

I spot Soonkyu and Jessica as soon as I enter the cinema. But the Kim Taeyeon is not there.

 

“Hi!” I greet both of them.

“Hi, Miyoung-ah.”

Jessica just nods her head in acknowledgment at me.

“Um, is it only the two of you?”

Soonkyu raise her eyebrows in amusement, “Taeyeon is stuck in traffic, but she says she’ll be here soon.”

“Oh, okay.”

Someone taps my shoulder from behind and I just remember I come with my roommate.

“Gosh, sorry! I forgot.” I step aside a little bit so I can introduce her to Soonkyu and Jessica.

“Everybody, this is my roommate, Yuri.”

Yuri offers her hand to Soonkyu, which the latter accepts, “Kwon Yuri.” She says with a smile.

“Sunny. Lee Sunny.” That’s Soonkyu’s preferred name, like me, Soonkyu also thinks her Korean names is too old-fashioned.

Yuri shakes hands with Jessica next, “Hi, I’m Jessica.”

“Hello, Jessica-ssi.”

 

“You look good, Miyoung-ah.” Soonkyu looks at me from up to down.

“Why, thank you.”

“No, I mean you look good good.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?”

“I know you Hwang Miyoung, and this look,” she points at me up and down, “is your ‘date’ look.”

“What? No it isn’t! This is my casual look.”

 

I hear a chuckle and it’s Yuri’s, “It took forever to pick her clothes.”

Oh, great! She just has to be a whistle blower, “I did not!”

“Oh, really? You never took forever to dress up when you just want to hang out with your friends.” Soonkyu says ignoring my rebuttal.  

 

To be honest, I didn’t know why I even got anxious in the first place since this is really just friends hanging out together.

 

 

Oh, who am I kidding. Of course I got anxious because Kim Taeyeon will be here.

 

“Fine! It’s Saturday night! I just feel like dressing up a bit.” I try to reason but I heard a snort and it’s from Jessica.   

 

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late.”

 

Kim Taeyeon is here. Just like a heroine, saving me from further embarrassment.

 

 

We watched the new movie that Soonkyu wants to watch. It’s a mind-boggling movie and we decided to discuss it over dinner together.

Yuri got along with everybody just fine. Even Jessica laughed at one of her jokes. This group of people is really pleasant. Even though Taeyeon would give me a premature ventricular contraction once in a while (when she said my name, when she smiled at me, when she offered her popcorn to me, when she reached for her drink that’s in between our seats (yes, she sat beside me at the cinema. My heart worked so damn hard for 2 hours), when she asked me questions or when she answered mine, and whenever she made interaction with me basically), but I still find this group of people fun and comfortable. I really won’t mind hanging out with them again.

“So, Yuri-ssi, what do you do?” Soonkyu asks.

“I’m actually a Yoga instructor.” She answers while eating her salad. Yes, she’s a health freak.

“Wow, really? Must be nice, having flexible hours.” Taeyeon comments.

“Yeah, but most people want to do it on the weekends.”

“It’s a miracle she’s free today.” I add.    

“How about everybody? What do you guys do?” Yuri asks.

“We’re all corporate slaves who work our asses off on the weekdays just so we can spend money on the weekends.” Soonkyu answers while Jessica and Taeyeon nod in agreements.

“But Taeyeon here is the busiest since she just got promoted and all.” Soonkyu continues while pointing her chopsticks at Taeyeon.

“Plus, her company is known to have no limit on work hours.” Jessica comments.

“You don’t have over time wage?” I ask.

“Nope.”

“Really?? That . Where do you work?” Yuri asks.

“The company is not that big yet, but our office is in xx Building.”

My eyes widen. Her office building is only two buildings away from mine.

“Hey, that’s near yours, Fany-ah.” Yuri says.

“Oh really?” Taeyeon asks with interest that (of course!) makes me blush.

“It’s two buildings away from yours.”

Taeyeon seems to think before she speaks again, “The one with a very unique architecture?”

“Yes.”

“That’s nice. Maybe you two can have lunch together or something.” Jessica butts in.

“We should.” Taeyeon smiles at me and gosh I swear the room’s temperature get higher.

We talk about everything after that and I excuse myself to go to the toilet after I finish with my meal.       

 “Oh, I want to go too.”

You guess it well, Taeyeon stand up also. I glance at Soonkyu who seems to be busy with her cellphone while Jessica and Yuri are engrossed in a conversation.

So I go to the toilet with Kim Taeyeon trailing behind me.

“This is really nice.” She says while washing her hands beside my sink.

“What is? This toilet?” I ask with a chuckle since what she said was really out of the blue.

She laughs her unique laugh, “No, no. I mean hanging out with you and our friends.”

Our friends. I really like the sound of that. Ours. Mine and Kim Taeyeon’s put together.

“You’re right. It’s nice and fun.”

“Very fun! It beats out holing up with myself in my apartment.”

“You’re not really the outgoing type, huh?” I start to dry my hands with the paper towel.

She shrugged, “It’s just a little bit depressing going out and seeing all the couples around.”

“Why is it depressing?”

She looks at me hesitantly while drying her hands too, “Um… it makes me miss my…… girlfriend.”

Damn that hurts. The fact that our chemistry cannot go beyond friendship like hell.   

“Oh.”

I try to look away and turn to the mirror but I can still see her reflection and she has this worried look on her face.

“Are you….. okay with that?”

What? I’m okay with what? Wait, SHE KNOWS?! Oh my God, she knows that I like her?!

Okay, calm down. Just play dumb.

“O-okay with what?”  

“You…you know.” She fiddles with the hem of her shirt and looks down, “With me… being…..gay.”

I raise my eyebrows, “Why would I not be okay with that?”

She looks up instantly, a little bit surprise, “You’re okay with that?”

“Wha- of course I’m okay with that. Why do you think I’m not?”

 

Now I’m confused.

“Well…. some people would find it disturbing, disgusting even.”

She doesn’t know I like her. I get it all wrong. She thinks I don’t know about her preferences. I let out a relieved sigh mentally.   

She still fidgets in her place and I smile before I say, “Taeyeon-ah, I’m definitely okay with that.”

She looks utterly glad, “Really? Wow, that’s such a relief! I thought you’d be disgusted with me and stop being my friend.”

I laugh, “I won’t be disgusted with you.”

She laughs too, “Thanks. That’s good because I want us to be friends for a long time.”

She winks and starts walking out from the toilet.

 

How could she flirted and friend-zoned me at the same time?

 

*

 

Soonkyu: Nice move on the ‘you two can have lunch together’

Jessica: I know right. But you’re really sure that this Tiffany is the right one for Taeyeon?

Soonkyu: 100%. I’ve known her since college and she’s perfect.

Jessica: I hope it works. Taeyeon’s less gloomy and she doesn’t look at her cellphone even once today. You notice?

Soonkyu: I do. And she’s the one who’s asking about Tiffany, remember?

Jessica: Yeah.

Soonkyu: I really wish she’d just break it off with her y girlfriend and be happy for real.

Jessica: I wish for that too.