#01 the best friend

“                                         

You’re the Fire

Warm temperature

I’m pulled in without a sound

You spread to me when I open both eyes

Only the trace of gray remains

Oh you’re the Fire

Oh I know you’re the Fire             

”

“Hey, you’re Hyeran right?”

“Yes.”

“Wanna go for lunch together?”

Ji Soo was a friend I had known for 5 years. She was horribly impatient and whiny, but she was friend when she needed to be. She was also incredibly pretty which was the cause of her never ending list of exes. I often questioned why she decided to befriend me then given that I didn’t talk much (and my rbf didn’t exactly prove to be of much help in making me look approachable).  I wasn’t complaining though for she was my first friend and I was grateful that she considered me friend worthy.

Being friends with her had its plus and minuses. She was a great companion to go out with and talk to whenever I had problems. Ji Soo was able to comfort me in a way no one else could, and I found myself running to her every time I was upset.

The side I didn’t like however was her habit of changing boyfriends as if she was changing her clothes. She knew she looked way better than the average and she took advantage of the fact that people knew that. One month she would be with a Minho from the grade above, the next she would be with a Jongsuk from the boys’ school opposite ours. One thing they had in common was the fact that they all confessed to her, and Ji Soo being Ji Soo loved the attention, so she accepted them. After a month, or however long it took her to get another confession, she would break up with the guy with a lame excuse like ‘We just weren’t working out.’, and leave the poor guy standing there like in bewilderment. It disgusted me a little as an outsider to see how she played all those guys who genuinely liked her just because she liked the attention she would receive, but me being me didn’t dare to comment on her behavior.

Over time I learnt to ignore her player ways. Even though we were both already in University presently, she hadn’t changed this part of her. In fact, I found that she cared less for whatever was going on in my life. Our catch-up sessions soon became What-Jisoo-did-today-and-last-week time and I would be lying if I said it didn’t annoy me. Whenever she started on her monthly I’m-going-to-talk-about-my-boyfriend-now segment during our catch-up sessions, I would tune out and concentrate on how to make my latte last for the next 30 minutes, making sure to throw in some polite nods and smiles every few seconds.

Perhaps it was because she was my first friend that I didn’t know how friendship was supposed to work. I often brushed it off, telling myself that I was over thinking and I was the one not putting in enough effort. This feeling would come on and off frequently, partly because I found myself easily swayed by her actions.

I kept mum about the grudge I secretly held against her though. Saying them out loud was something that would bring unnecessary drama, and losing my only friend was something I couldn’t afford.

===

The day I met Byun Baekhyun the weather was sweltering hot and extremely humid, with the temperature for that day recording the highest in South Korea in 5 years. I remember there was little to no wind, causing me to feel a little breathless because of the heat. The sweat rolled continuously down my temple as I struggled to locate café blanc amongst the crowd of people and the numerous rows of eateries and restaurants. It was a mess, I was a mess, it was everything I disliked about a sunny Saturday. My phone beeped at that moment and I reached into the back pocket of my jeans to retriev