Me and Minji have been friends for many years, and Handong still does not understand why. Minji and I are different, like fire and water. In everything. Starting with appearance, ending with characters. She's a leading development manager for a reason. She is a talking person. On the contrary, I prefer to be silent and listen more. When Minji and I are in the same company, they only notice me, because I am with her.It seems to me that someone even thinks that I am friends with her only because she is always in the spotlight. This is not true, of course, but I understand why people think so. Minji always had everything she wanted, she always had the most beautiful girls, and several at once, especially in her student years, always the best, she is always the “soul of the company”.

Expensive cars, a modernly furnished apartment, fashionable clothes, the most sophisticated gadgets and everything like that. And I? I've been driving an old Nissan and my phone has been around for five years. It’s not because I don’t have money or I am in need.

No. I just don't see the point in it. I do not need it. I have other values and other pleasures. Buy a new lens for your camera because I love taking pictures. 

Or buy building materials for the same summer cottage. The dacha is what I love. No, I could not live there permanently, but I love to go there on vacation or for the weekend. There is no vegetable garden, there is just a place where I rest. I read books, work, do a hobby - I process the photos I have taken and display them on my blog.

It is mine. This is my circle of interests. And parties, bars, clubs, expensive shops and shopping centers are Minji's. Nevertheless, we have been friends for many years, since school, and somehow we have learned to respect each other's interests. She doesn’t think I’m a bore or a geek, and I don’t roll my eyes at shopping stories of fifty thousand at a time.

I was invited to a exhibition.

I showed my invitation to the security guard in a suit at the entrance, and after his nod of approval and wishes for a pleasant evening, I entered the gallery. This was a preliminary discovery. Everyone was here by invitation only, and the bulk of people, art lovers, were supposed to come tomorrow. Handong said that this is a common practice for artists - first, they make a kind of preview, where relatives, friends, as well as agents and collectors are invited. And the next day the official opening takes place. I decided it was not bad, at least there shouldn't be a lot of people today.

As soon as I entered the large hall, a cute waitress immediately appeared next to me with a tray on which there were several glasses of champagne and a small plate with some snacks.

- Champagne? She smiled charmingly and turned the tray towards me.

I just opened my mouth to answer, when I immediately heard a sharp:

- She's driving.

The girl smiled knowingly and after a second was out of sight.

- Handong, will you control me all evening? I hissed, turning to Handong.

- Siyeon, why didn't you put on the suit in which I told you to come? - Handong frowned, ignoring my question. - This is black, we have an exhibition or a funeral?

- Because I had to wash it. I was too lazy, ”I replied, sighing. - And this one suits me.

- Lord, are you even able to take care of yourself?

- I'm twenty-seven, Handong, I am able!

- And twenty-six, and now what?  Where is your friend? Late again? I knew it. One could not even expect that she would appear on time.

- Are you going to talk to yourself? If you don't need me for this conversation, can I go? - I smiled sweetly and took a couple of steps back.

- Come on, say hello to Wheein. By the way, they already want to buy a couple of paintings, can you imagine? - Handong grabbed my jacket sleeve and dragged me somewhere to the side.

- Wheein, congratulations on the exhibition. I haven't seen much, Handong won't let me walk around the gallery, but I already understand that you are a great fellow. Everything looks very ... impressive. ”I smiled at a small woman with incredibly curly blue hair. She was beautiful. Her voice was soft, gentle and soothing.

- Thank you. I'm glad to see you here. Handong said you won't be alone? -, Wheein hugged Handong by the shoulder, imperceptibly hugging her closer to her. She could not hug her waist, because the difference in height. But it looked very nice.

- Yes, Hnadong is right, - I flashed a glance, looking Handong, and continued, - she will be with her friend any minute.

- From hour to hour, I would say, - Handong snorted, but when she saw my next malicious look, she fell silent.

- And you two as always together! - like a bolt from the blue, I heard Minji's voice.

- Yes, and as always, we are all on time,” Handong answered venomously, smiling.

- Hi, - I hugged my friend.

- Sorry, traffic jams, - Minji shook hands with Handong and Wheein, and turned her face so that she could see all of us. - Meet my friend Bora.

In all my life, in twenty-seven years of my life, I have not met a more beautiful woman. I was clearly aware of this. No teenage fanaticism could match what I experienced looking at Minji's friend. She was great. No, even this pretentious word is not able to fully convey her beauty. She truly was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

Slightly smaller than me, probably a little older than a year or two, she was the embodiment of everything that I liked so much about girls. 

I looked at her and could not utter a word. My gaze was absorbed, absorbed, remembered every detail of her appearance, clearly captured her image somewhere in the sub cortex, against my will. God, how I wanted to take the camera away from the walking journalist to capture it.

- Hello, - I felt how they poked me painfully in the ribs, and blinked, regaining consciousness.

Minji and everyone else looked at me like an idiot.

- Oh, I'm sorry, I…” I didn't know what to say.

That I am crazy about her beauty? That I had not seen people more attractive than this girl?

- Nice to meet you, Bora. I am Siyeon, - I, with an embarrassed smile, held out my hand to say hello. I was sure that my hand was shaking like an autumn leaf in the wind.

- Nice to meet you too" her beckoning lips parted slightly, and I saw a gorgeous, but still lazy smile. “I've heard a lot about you. From Minji, - she shook my hand, and I felt her soft warm skin. It's unbearable.

The girl turned her gaze from me to the perky smiling Minji and let go of my hand, breaking our tactile contact. Unfortunately for me, it seems.

- Have you seen the pictures yet? - asked Minji, embracing Bora possessively.

“N-no,” I replied slightly stammering, trying not to look at my new friend. -Handong did not let me go.

- Oh, nothing changes,” Minji giggled and coughed when she saw the look that Handong gave her. - Then we will probably go and see?

I nodded silently and turned to Handong:

- See you later?

- Sure. We still need to talk with the agents, - Handong once again flashed her eyes towards Minji, and she and Wheein headed in the opposite direction from us.

- Is Handong still training you? - Minji smiled when we walked to the first picture, where a half- young lady was depicted, covered with a sheet.

- She says that until I meet a good girl, she will take care of me,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

- So, you urgently need to find some girl, - Minji giggled again, not even looking at the picture. Unlike her companion, who studied the canvas very carefully and, it seemed, did not listen to us at all.

- Yeah, I’ll do it as soon as I leave here,” I remarked sarcastically, pretending that I was also studying Wheein’s work, although I myself was shamelessly looking at Minji’s new friend. - And how are you? Have you been promoted yet? Didn't become the main boss while I was out of town?

We moved on, Bora walked slightly ahead of us, but Minji was holding her hand. Strange, my friend never liked all this romantic stuff. Being in the company, she could not even approach her girlfriend, bathing in the rays of public attention, and here, look, they walk by the handle. What did she do to her?

- No, - Minji laughed. - Being a mini-boss suits me perfectly. More power - more responsibility, you know. Bora is a director, and I'd rather be an ordinary boss.

- Really? - I looked with interest at the girl who, having heard her name, turned to us. - Are you a director?

- Financial,” she smiled.

Damn, how does she manage to smile like that? It’s like she’s a big predatory cat playing with her prey.

- In Minji's company? - I asked. Do they even work together?

- No, - Minji shook her head. - They have a network of fitness clubs, and we did advertisements for them. I was at their talks with manager, and there we met, - she explained.

- I see, then, the CFO, - I nodded to myself.

- By the way, Siyeon is a leading accountant in a large firm,” Minji said for some reason. - I am lucky with women who are connected with money.

At that moment, Minji's phone rang and she let go of the girl's hand.

- Oh, this is for work, I’m just for a minute,” she turned and walked to an empty spot in the gallery, answering the call as she walked.

I remained standing near Bora, shifting from foot to foot, and having no idea what to talk to her about. And whether to talk at all. She seemed absorbed in looking at the landscape.

- You like? - finally, I decided, going a little closer to her.

- What? - it seemed to me that the girl shuddered a little, as if I pulled her out of some thoughts.

- Painting, - I nodded at the canvas in front of us.

- Oh, yes. Highly. The colors are very well chosen. They seem to pass into each other, but at the same time, it seems ...

- Are they isolated? - I prompted, seeing that the girl was trying to find the right word.

- Yes,” she nodded thoughtfully and turned to me, smiling slightly.

- You understand this, right? - I asked, as if with a coccyx feeling that she was not just a fan of looking at pictures.

- My father was an artist. I loved watching him work. He painted seascapes very often. 

- Sorry, - Minji appeared out of nowhere, and I, it seems, for the first time was not too happy about her appearance. - Why are you stuck here? Let's go further, I see a picture over there with a woman.

Minji took Bora's hand and dragged her down the aisle, leaving me trailing behind them in mixed feelings.

We spent another couple of hours in the gallery, even meeting a few acquaintances, after which I decided that I had had enough and that I had to go home. Having said goodbye to everyone, together with Minji, who had volunteered to accompany me, went to the exit.

- Well, do you like Bora? - we walked along the dark sidewalk towards the parking lot.

- Since when does it interest you, what I think of your young ladies? - I was surprised.

Minji never asked my opinion about girls. If she liked them, she talked to them. If they bored her, she left them. My opinion never bothered her, which may be right.

- She's cool, isn't she? - Minji's eyes were burning. - Tell me, isn’t she y? Have you seen her ?!

I choked since I actually saw her . But I was not going to talk to Minji about this.

- She not only has an appearance, Minji. She's pretty interesting. Smart, educated, speaks beautifully - I didn't like discussing Bora in the context of a beautiful doll. Because during these couple of hours I realized that this is not the case when only the wrapper is good. Bora was a very interesting girl.

- Yes, it's understandable, - Minji was offended, - I'm not saying that she is a stupid barbie. It's just ... She's great.

- Cool,” I muttered.

- Listen, let's go somewhere in the middle of the week, three of us? You seem to get along. ”Minji suggested, letting me go forward along the narrowed sidewalk.

- What for? I stopped abruptly and Minji bumped into me. - Why do we need to know each other better?

- What do you mean, Siyeon? Minji raised an eyebrow and stared at me blankly. - Well, she's my girlfriend. You are my friend. It will be good if you too ... become friends.

“Yeah,” I nodded, taking out my car keys. - Come on, of course," - I smiled tightly. What kind of idiot am I?

- Okay, go, and I'll after Bora. We'll go home in a few minutes. We will call you when we decide when to meet.  Minji hugged me and waved her hand, turning towards the gallery.

I got into the car and started the engine. Burying my forehead on the steering wheel, I groaned. I was torn apart by incomprehensible sensations. I was glad for Minji that she met such a really nice girl. But knowing Minji, soon her infatuation will pass, and another girl will appear. And Bora will join the ranks of women with a broken heart. Before, I didn't care about the fate of Minji's short-term friends, but this time around, I didn't want Bora to become another fleeting hobby. This girl deserved more. Much more than just a non-binding relationship with my friend.