A thunder of knocks almost made me tumble off the couch and I fumbled with the remote to keep it from falling out of my hands. The knocks continued, getting even louder and making it hard for me to hear the precious words of the handsome male lead in my new favorite drama. Most of the people that knock on my door are just those traveling salesmen, so I just ignore them until they leave, but whoever this was, was being persistent. It couldn’t be a delivery man because I haven’t ordered anything in a while.

My eyes narrowed. Taehyung. If he’s moving in more boxes, I swear.

“Taehyung! Your stuff is here.”

He poked his head out of his room and I jerk my head toward the door.

“That’s not for me. All my stuff was delivered this morning.”

I winced when the knocks get louder, turning to face him with a confused look. “Then who?”

We both cautiously inched up to the door, he’s taller so he peered through the peephole. “What do you see?”

“A lot of red.”

“Huh?”

“I just see bright red hair.”

“Oh. Then it’s,” A smile grew my lips as I quickly unlatched the chain lock and pulled open the door. “Karen!” Only my best friend and former roommate. She hadn’t visited me since she moved out. This must have been her way of surprising me.

She didn’t return my hug, leaving me with my arms outstretched awkwardly as she pushed past and slipped into the chair near the window. The breeze from the door shutting behind her was almost as cold as her glare. She crossed her legs and flipped her phone to face me. And I got the feeling that she didn’t drop by just to say hi.

“I see you’re doing fine. Care to explain why I couldn’t reach you after 10 calls and dozens of texts.”

Her eyes flashed to Taehyung who was standing behind me but if she was surprised she didn’t show it, just focused on me, unfortunately.

“Oh, my phone must’ve been on silent.”

“Oh? Oh? You texted me that you were about to die and then never replied. I should get more of a reaction that oh”

Honestly, I completely forgot about that text, I had gotten distracted with Tae and then my favorite TV show came on. I hadn’t touched my phone since this morning.

“I thought something happened to you.”

“Well, to be fair… something did.” I pulled Taehyung’s jacket and mouthed for him to say something. He shook his head and mouthed something incomprehensible back to me. Karen rolled her eyes at our silent conversation.

“And who is this guy anyway?”

“This,” I gestured toward him like a salesgirl to a new car. “is Taehyung, my arch nemesis, and he’s invaded my house. That’s my emergency.”

Her eyebrow raised, but she’s long been fed-up with my dramatics, so she just sighed and leaned back into the chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Leah, please. Can you actually make sense for once?”

“Well,” Taehyung finally stepped forward. “Do you mind if I explain.”

She didn’t deny him, so he took a seat on the couch next to me. To be honest we looked like two teenagers begging our mom to let us go out to the movies or something.

“Leah and I used to know each other though we weren’t really on good terms for a while. I came back to this town and needed a place to stay and Leah let me stay at her place. I guess she’s just a little upset about the past though.”

Why was he such an eloquent speaker? The way he described our whole scenario so simply makes me seem like a big exaggerator. I exaggerate, sure but not that much.

“So you’re living with this guy, now?”

“U-uh yeah. The rent was due and so I needed someone quick.” I mumbled the rest.

She glanced back from me to him until she finally spoke up. “Leah, you’re insane. Making me drive all the way up here because I thought you hurt yourself again. But as long as I’m here, we need to talk about this new roommate thing. I leave for one week and you already get yourself in trouble.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and beckoned me to the door. “Put on your shoes, we’re going out.”

“And you.” She turned to Tae who smiled back, a little scared though. “You better not be a weirdo.”

“I’m not. I swear.” He put his hand to his heart, a thing he always used to do.

Karen just grunted in reply before swinging open the door. I had only one of my shoes on, but I was still trying to follow her out. I glared at Taehyung before I left the house. “Don’t mess anything up when I’m gone.”

“No promises.” He shrugged just as the door closed.

***

“Take me with you please!” I watched the boats sail away from the harbor until they sway as dots on the horizon. Karen and I were seated on the café’s balcony, overlooking the water.  

“So you guys used to-” Karen twirled the smoothie with her straw, leaning forward in curiosity.

“Don’t say it please, for the sake of all that is good.”

“… Date?”

She said it. I slumped against my chair sliding deeper under the table

“Leah sit up and start acting like a normal 25-year-old. What’s wrong with saying you dated him? He didn’t seem like that bad of a guy.”

That comment could only elicit the most dramatic scoff that I could manage. She and I just became friends a two years ago but if she had known me at the time when I lost my mind and dated that guy she would be cursing him out along with me.

“What is it? Is it his sparkling eyes that makes everyone so smitten with him? You’ve just met him today and already side with him.”

“Leah, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Yeah she is,” Instead of one of the waiters, Jin stood beside our table with his green apron around his waist, refilling my drink.

“What’s the owner doing serving drinks?”

“I always come to deal with problem customers myself. I could hear your whining from inside the café.” He shook his head at me.

“Jin, do you know this Taehyung guy? I’m trying to figure out if he’s a weirdo or not, but Leah won’t give me a serious answer.” Karen asked.

He nods. “So, you found out about him. Well, in my opinion, he’s a pretty decent guy. He’s a guitarist and music producer. We all met and hung out in college. He left town right after graduation and only came back a few days ago. As for his relationship with her, I don’t know the whole story, but I think he broke up with her over text and disappeared the same day. I guess she’s been a little bitter since then. ”

I slid deeper into my seat, hoping my face disappears under the table. Those memories, I kept them locked up deep in my mind and I just don’t feel like thinking about them again.

“That definitely makes him a jerk but maybe not evil like you were saying.” Karen’s eyebrow furrow in thought. “What I can’t figure out is why you would offer someone like that a room in your apartment. Even if you needed rent payment, that’s still not like you.”

Her glossy lips pulled into a wry smile. Jin was also looking at me with a similar expression. “Are you sure you don’t still have feelings for this guy?”

Me? Still having feelings for that guy. I was so shocked at the nerve of their accusation that I couldn’t speak for a solid minute. There was no way that I- there was no way. I was not little naïve college Leah anymore and I owe it to that poor girl to never stoop so low as to like that guy again. I may have exaggerated when I said he was the evilest guy in the world, but he was still someone who acted like a complete jerk in the past. And Jin, he had it wrong. It wasn’t just a simple break up through text that made me so mad, it was… it was…

“Is she still breathing.” They were both staring and Jin poked at my shoulder. “She’s just frozen in shock.”

Karen checked her phone before standing up. “I guess whether you like him or not is none of my business.”

I was going to correct her but what’s the use she was going to think whatever she wanted to think.

“But if he ever hurts you again, or ends up being a , then just call me and I’ll bust down the door to help you. I actually gotta go, there's a meeting that I gotta get to.” She patted my head and nodded a goodbye to Jin.

I down the last of my soda before getting up to go too. 

“No tip?” Jin calls out playfully behind me. 

“Nope, payback for the other day.”