Minseok turns out to be not as strange as Yong-sun would have expected from one of Byul’s friend. To be more accurate, she would rather describe him as some older college student, with short hair falling to each sides of his forehead, black glasses and his powder blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to over his elbows. Yes, he must be studying. Or, at least, he has just have finished his studies.

“Nice to meet you.” He bowed his head towards Yong-sun, with a respectful tone. How can Byul and this man be friends?

Yong-sun’s eyes drift to her friend, whose smile has never been so bright, and she starts wondering whether it is not some kind of joke she is playing on her. She, Moon Byul, is finally able to have… Normal friends, other than her? She bows back, smile as wide as her friend’s, and gives Xiumin a pleased look. “Nice to meet you. I didn’t know Moonbyul had ... So many friends.”

There is a giggle coming from the painter, as if she had been reading her friend’s mind, and for a second, Yong-sun wishes she had not been invited. “What about ordering something, now?”

 “We’re already done with this.”

She furrows her brows and looks at the menu, trying to figure out what she can order as the two friends chat vividly. Her ears catch bits of conversation: they are talking about Byul’s work, about her recent invitation to private viewing of some association of painters she is into; and for a moment, Yong-sun wonders why Byul has never told her about this. Is she too busy?

After ordering a latte macchiato with chocolate chips, her favorite, Yong-sun looks at her friend and intertwines her own fingers under her chin, hoping she is not going to interrupt some important conversation between Minseok and Byul.

“So, how have you met?”

Her tone is one of genuine curiosity. She wonders how her friend has met someone like him, because she has always pretended that she did not like “boring” people. Not to say that he looks boring, but she knows what the word mean in the eye of her friend for having encountered a good part of her circle of acquaintances.

“We were neighbors, back in Busan.”

Minseok speaks like a lawyer and he sure has the manners. His voice is calm, he speaks slowly, as if he had to be cautious of every word. Maybe it is just her mind speaking: her mother always tells her that she is too quick to judge people. This time, though, she cannot be wrong, and her confidence increases as the conversation goes on. He has come to Seoul for his job, because he was not pleased with the place he worked at anymore and he needed fresh air. Their conversation is made up mainly of anecdotes and memories they both share with Byul, their common friends and key element of the outing.

After what seems like hours, Minseok finally stands up and bows to both women, his lips curling into a small but pleasant smile. “I have to go now.” He gives them money to pay for their drinks and turns to Yong-sun, addressing her with a “it was nice meeting you, Yong-sun.” that makes her crack a smile.

How long as it been since she has last met such a nice person? A nice man, to be more accurate? Her thoughts are drifting away when she hears Byul’s cough. The painter is giving at her a knowing look.

“What are you thinking about, Solar?” asked the smiling blonde. “He looks good, doesn’t he?”

“I wonder how you and he managed to stay friends.” She answered, trying to avoid the topic desperately.

“Solar.”

“I mean, you’ve always strange friends.”

“Yong-sun.”

The cat owner’s eyes stop on the now too serious face of Byul, “What is it?”

“I asked you if he looked good, not if you were thinking of marrying him or something.

“It’s almost the same.”

Byul lets out a contempt sigh and takes the last sip of her drink before laying her cup next to Minseok’s empty one. “I’ll go and pay for the drinks. See you.”

And with that, Yong-sun is left alone, looking at her own cup of cold and too sweet coffee as her best-friend goes out of the place, almost slamming the door. She stirs the light-brown beverage and finally leaves without finishing it. How come that she always ruins the good moments she has with her friends?

On her way home, she lets her thoughts drift again. It is not her fault: Byul has always been quite sensitive and she never liked being talked about relationship and love. It was useless, stressful, and the small number of relationships she has been into so far is enough to prove it. She is sure her best friend was about to come up with the topic. Everybody spends their time reminding her that she is about to turn twenty-seven and that she has no time to lose. They are all wrong.

Anyway, people say that one has already met their one true love before turning twenty.

They might all be wrong.

True love is a thing that was invented so that Valentine’s Day makes money, and nothing more.

Anyway, she thinks as she enters her flat and is welcomed by a clowder of cats looking at her with adoration, I should not lose time thinking about it.

Author Note : Hi everyone ♥ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.