•19•

Inhae should stop smiling. She really should, but she couldn’t. Not when her phone just lit up with the message that came from Jongin – the only person that she wanted to hear about.

Amber must have sensed her smiling like a freak because suddenly that friend of her just raised an eyebrow. “You look happy.”

Inhae blinked. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Well, if you randomly smile for no reason I think that is a bad thing. You creeps me out.” Amber munched on her food. For a foreign student, she sure does take the Korean meal well.

“Jongin messaged me.”

Amber raised a brow and threw an amused smirk later. “What did he say?”

“He said hye…” Inhae mumbled, a bit sheepish.

It wasn’t a big secret among her friends about Jongin because Sunyoung basically told everyone about it – which is Amber and Victoria. Amber was cool with it but Victoria wasn’t so much, she didn’t really like the idea of her being obsessed with a boy that didn’t even acknowledge her.

But Inhae didn’t know what to say.

It wasn’t her plan on staying loyal to her crush but it seems like her heart had made the choice. She tried to move on and had lots of crushes, but still – Jongin would have the special place in her heart. Inhae didn’t even know how the boy managed to do that to her.

“Are you sure that he doesn’t like you back?”

“Pshh…” Inhae shook her head.

Amber, being a cool girl she was – thinks that Jongin might have some feelings for her, despite Inhae told that friend of hers that the boy barely acknowledged her since like forever.

“He doesn’t like me.”

“Then, why is he so eager on texting you again?” Amber wiggled her eyebrows and Inhae just groaned, balling a paper and threw it to her friend.

“He is bored. I think he just messaged me again because he has nothing to do.”

Amber frowned, shaking her head. “Don’t think like that. You don’t know that.”

But that’s what Inhae always told herself – because that’s what people always do. People tend to search for another second choice whenever they are bored and have nothing to do.

She had always thought that she was the second choice. Whenever people texted her, or called her – she would always tell herself that. It hurts, but she learned that she didn’t mind.

And she had thought Jongin was just like that.

Jongin must have nothing to do and was so bored that he decided to message her.  

It must be that.

Because Inhae didn’t have anything in her that would make someone wanted to focus only to her. There were no reason to call her, there were no reason to text her and there were no reason to meet her – and if there were someone that does all that thing, then Inhae tell herself that they were just bored, that’s why they’re looking for her.

Inhae swallowed hard at the bitter truth.

Her eyes glanced at the messaged that Jongin had sent to her Facebook and unwittingly, she replied.

Inhae found out that Jongin was taking the Literature and Communication course, saying that he wanted to become an editor and Inhae told him that she was taking the Management course when he had asked.

It was just a light conversation between them. Asking about this and that, never really getting off topic and it was getting a bit boring, but Inhae didn’t mind, because she was happy that she was finally talking to Jongin.

But in the midst of her happiness, she couldn’t help but to think that she wanted more than what she was having. She wanted more than just being an acquaintance, more than just friend and more than just a second choice when someone is feeling bored.

She stared at the previous conversations that she had with Jongin.

Inhae thought about Sunyoung and how that friend of hers was so brave at confessing her feelings to someone that she had adore for many years.

And Inhae wanted that. She wanted to confess, she wanted to tell Jongin what she was feeling for him. But at the same time, she was afraid.

She was so afraid that he won’t like her back.

She was so afraid that he will reject her.

She was so afraid that she will break something that just happened between them.

She was so afraid that she will lose him.

But something needed to happen.

Inhae didn’t want to be stuck on the same page again and again.

She needed to tell. She needed to know.

Hey, Jongin…can I get your number? I need to tell you something.

Her heart thumped.

Jongin was not online so the message was not yet to be read, but Inhae was being impatient.

So impatient.

I like you, Jongin.

She sends, watching it being presented with the rest of the unread text.

That was it.

She had done it.

She really had done it.

She bit her lower lips, muffling any screams that she wanted to shout.

Feeling anxious and scared for the answer, she log out from her Facebook.