“Hyun-ie! Do I get a treat for introducing you to Wook now that you accepted the role?”

“Oppa! Yes of course! When do you want to have dinner?”

“Tomorrow? I can make the reservations. I know a new place we can try.”

“Sure, text me the address? I’ll meet you there?”

“I’ll come pick you tomorrow. 7pm?”

“That works perfect! See you tomorrow!”

Seo In Guk smiled at his phone after he got off the call with Nam Ji Hyun.

…

Seo In Guk and Nam Ji Hyun sat side by side in a private booth, chatting over the bubbling pot of web footed octopus stew. She had a familiar manner with him, laughing easily at his silly jokes and hitting him playfully when he was being ridiculous. As they ate, he noticed a smudge of the stew at the side of her lip and leaned in towards her to gently wipe it off with his thumb, his thumb lingerly slowly on her lip. 

“Omo, oppa! If I didn’t know better, I would have thought you were putting on the moves! On me!”

“What if I am putting on the moves?”

“Mmm-hmm, like i’ll believe that!”

“Hyun-ie…”

She turned to look him in the eye. He looked intently back at her.

“I... like you.” He said as he leaned towards her, kissing her tenderly on her lips. He kissed her, countless times, when they shot the drama together and she would always tease for being nervous when he was the one with the relative wealth of kissing (and other) experience. He felt the familiar soft warmth of her lips as they reciprocated, ever so slightly, to his. She pulled away from him.

“Oppa…”

“I know. It’s not good timing. I know. It’s just with this whole army thing, I thought, YOLO!”

“Seriously? In your confession, you are really saying YOLO?” She hit him playfully on his shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“Don’t be dramatic. It doesn’t even hurt!”

“I like you Ji Hyun.”

“Thank you.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Thank you? What did you expect me to say?”

“You like me too?”

“I like you oppa but I don’t know if I like you enough.”

“Enough for?”

“For this whole army situation. I like to spend time with you. We have fun right?”

“We do.”

“So let’s spend time together. Before you enlist. Before the drama starts.”

“I would like that.”

“As friends.”

“Ahhhhh Hyun-ie, did you really have to say that to a man enlisting?” Seo In Guk clutched dramatically to his chest under the mock pain of rejection.

“You are enlisting. Not going off to war. It’s really quite different.” She continued.

“So if I were off to war, things would be differ