For those who had followed me, you know that I do not like Seo Hyun and I do not like SNSD. But for the sake of the drama/story, I will include Seo Hyun here as one of the chara.

~~~~

"Omoshirosou (It looks interesting)!" Go Ara said to her friends in Japanese.

Goo Hara and Park Shin Hye looked around the Japanese club, and they had to agree. Indeed, the club looked so cool and so chic, with all the ikemen in view and the loud techno music pumping up.

"Let's dance!" Hara suggested with glee.

"Ah, gaja!" Shin Hye said.

The three ladies went to the center of the dance floor and began to dance along with the Japanese crowd. It was break from classes, and the three rich friends went to Japan for a vacation. They had just graduated high school, and college was the next stop. They had enrolled already, and vacationing was the next thing that they NEED to do. With all the CSAT tests, they really need a major break.

Shin Hye felt tired after an hour of dancing, so she excused herself.

"Wae?" Hara asked.

"I need a drink," Shin Hye replied.

As she waved to her friends to go to the counter, she accidentally stepped on some sweat on the floor and slipped. Good thing for her, someone caught her as she fell. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to find a good-looking guy smiling at her.

"A...arigatou gozaimasu," she said.

The guy helped her to her feet, and she tucked some hair behind her ears coyly.

"Anata wa Kankokujin mitai desu (You look like Korean)," the person said.

Her cheeks flushed with rosy red when the stranger spoke with his husky voice. His toothy smile got to her, and she felt her chest pumping more blood.

"Ah, ee. Watashi wa Kankokujin desu (Ah, yes. I am Korean)," she replied in Japanese.

The guy smiled and held out his hand for a handshake.

"Jung Yong Hwa-imnida," he introduced himself in Korean.

Shin Hye scoffed and smiled upon hearing the Korean name. It felt like home. But she wanted to be sure.

"Hokshi, Hanguk saramiseyo (Are you Korean, by any chance)?" she asked, and Yong Hwa nodded. She held his hand and introduced herself. "Park Shin Hye-imnida."

Yong Hwa invited her to the counter.

"You left your friends on the dance floor," he said.

"Ah, Hara parties hard, and so does Ara," Shin Hye said. "I love discos but I just get tired easily. I prefer walking."

"So, dancing is not your cup of tea, huh?" Yong Hwa said to her as he beckoned the bartender.

"Ah, not really," she said.

The bartender came to them and asked for their order.

"Biiru o agete kudasai (Beer, please)," he said in perfect Japanese. "Two bottles."

Yong Hwa and Shin Hye talked while waiting for the beer. And later, as their bottles of beer came, Yong Hwa asked.

"Haksaeng-imnikka (Are you a student)?" he asked her.

"Ne. I will be in college this coming new school year," she replied. "And you?"

"Ah, ne. I will be in college this year too," Yong Hwa said.

They found out that they enrolled in the same school and in the same course. Shin Hye enjoyed flirting with him, and she was damn delighted to have a hottie/cutie for a prospective batchmate (or hopefully, classmate). Yong Hwa even surprised her by asking for her phone number, and she instantly gave it to him.

*****

Ending of the night was, Hara and Ara teased Shin Hye about her new campus crush.

*****

At the start of the new school year, first day.

Shin Hye was walking around, looking for the lecture room of her first class, when someone bumped against her.

"Jo...joesonghamnida..." the person apologized.

When she looked up, she saw that it was actually Yong Hwa.

"Ah! Annyeonghaseyo?" she greeted him gleefully with a bow.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Shin Hye-ya?" he greeted. "Mianhaeyo, I bumped with you."

"Ah, gwaenchanhayo," she said.

Both of them went in the classroom, and each were shocked to be each other's classmate.

"Omomomo," Shin Hye said. "How intriguing!"

He smiled his signature toothy grin and held her back.

"Let's sit over here," he said, motioning her to sit in front with him.

Shin Hye did not protest because she just wanted to be with him. He apologized for not calling her after they met in Japan because he suddenly got busy with things. She did not mind, however, because waiting to see him in school was worth it.

That started their friendship, and Yong Hwa also got to be friends with Ara and Hara, who were classmates in a different major. Shin Hye and Yong Hwa often hung out together in school and after school when Ara and Hara could not be with them. Most people in school often thought that the two were the cutest campus couple there is.

Shin Hye hoped too. She had fallen in love with her best friend.

****

They did not enroll at the same time in second year in college, as Shin Hye enrolled first. She had not seen Yong Hwa weeks before the start of the term because he did not tell her where he had been.

And first day of the new school year came.

Shin Hye walked calmly to the lecture hall for her first class. She was sure that English literature was going to be very exciting. After all, if she had not been interested in learning English Language and Literature, she would not enrol in this course, right? When she got in the lecture hall, she saw some few classmates from first year, and she settled at the second row, unlike in first year when she settled at the front with Yong Hwa.

"Annyeong, Shin Hye-ya?" a classmate greeted. "Namjachingu eodi isseo (Where's you're namja)?"

"Ah, Yong Hwa-ga namjachingu aniya (He is not my boyfriend)," she replied. "Molla. We had no contact for weeks after the last class."

"Too bad. You and Yong Hwa look extremely good together," the classmate said.

Shin Hye smiled. But oh, if only Yong Hwa was her boyfriend.

"Annyeonghaseyo?" Yong Hwa greeted anyone as he came in the lecture room.

Shin Hye lit up a smile when she saw him, and she greeted him.

"Why are you in the second row?" he asked, but she just smirked. "Oh, by the way, we have a new classmate, my childhood friend."

"Childhood friend?" she asked in curiosity. He had never shared to her that one.

"Ne. Oh, wait. I'll call her," he said before going out the door.

"H...her?" she asked herself.

Yong Hwa came in with a girl with slim features and an angelic face. Shin Hye suddenly got jealous when she saw how Yong Hwa treated the girl: he held her waist and beckoned her for a seat.

"Annyeonghaseyo? Seo Joo Hyun-imnida," the girl introduced herself. "Just call me Seo Hyun."

Shin Hye was tongue-tied not because she found her like a goddess; rather, it was more of unable to speak out of jealousy.

"Ah...ne. Annyeonghaseyo? Park Shin Hye-imnida. Bangawoyo," Shin Hye replied.

Yong Hwa motioned his childhood chum to have a seat at the front, while he sat beside her and in front of Shin Hye.

"Come here in front, Shin Hye-ya," Yong Hwa said, pointing to his other side.

"Ah...ani... gwaenchanha," she replied uneasily.

"Ya, Park Shin Hye," Yong Hwa said with a cute pout. "You think it would be fun to cheat without you?"

Seo Hyun perked up. "So, both of you are cheating buddies? How amazing!"

Yong Hwa hushed so that no one would know of their secret, but Shin Hye did not find it all too amusing. Yeah, she cheated with Yong Hwa even though both of them were in front of the class, and she enjoyed it. But they seldom do it, of course. The one thing that was not amusing was the fact that perhaps, Yong Hwa will have a new cheating buddy.

"Ah... you can still cheat," Shin Hye replied with a wan smile.

"Ya, gwaenchanha?" he asked in concern.

"Girly cramps," she lied.

Yong Hwa nodded and turned to Seo Hyun. Shin Hye listened as the two chatted about Seo Hyun's former life as a first year student in Sungkyunkwan University. She had heard from Yong Hwa that Yonsei was definitely much better, so she decided to transfer.

"And you are trying to steal my bestfriend away?" Shin Hye asked Seo Hyun in thought.

That started it. Shin Hye began to spend time alone, mostly in the cafeteria or in the library, while Seo Hyun and Yong Hwa spent time together, childhood chums reunited. Even their classmates would often ask why she no longer hung out with Yong Hwa, but she would only smile and turn away.

****

White Day (March 14) saw Yong Hwa giving expensive chocolates to Seo Hyun, much to Shin Hye's jealousy, so that Black Day (April 14), the two were astonished to find Shin Hye in a Korean restaurant, eating jajangmyeon by herself.

"So, she is still single?" Seo Hyun asked Yong Hwa in confusion. "I thought she was going out with Wooyoung-ah."

"No, she is not," Yong Hwa said. "They are friends with Wooyoung, but he has a girlfriend."

For months, Yong Hwa and Shin Hye never quite talked that much, except when Yong Hwa would ask her questions. Even Seo Hyun was kind enough to her but was a bit timid because Shin Hye looked snobbish and unapproachable.

Rose Day, May 14. A lot of crazy girls got roses from their boyfriends and secret admirers. Later that lunch, the students crowded at the cafeteria because someone was making an announcement. Shin Hye, who was so hungry that she could eat the whole world, came in to file. When she saw the commotion, she got near and was shocked to see Yong Hwa standing on the stage with Seo Hyun. Yong Hwa looked cheesy while holding a mike and doing a mike test. Finally, when the mike was all right, he called the attention of the crowd. Seo Hyun was getting very nervous because Yong Hwa was doing something very naughty indeed. The crowd howled in delight when they saw him grabbing a rose from his "assistant" and kneeling down while handing it over to her.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked Seo Hyun.

Shin Hye heard the question, and she stood frozen in her place. The people were chanting already, insisting that the girl on stage answer with a positive question. Indeed, Seo Hyun accepted Yong Hwa's love in front of everybody, who cheered on and on. However, three girls voiced out their indignation with fangirl tears.

"ANDWAE~~~~!!!!!" the leader of the fangirl cried.

"An...andwae," Shin Hye said to herself, tears starting to fall.

Yong Hwa sang a love song for his girl, while the crowd went wild. Hungry though she was, Shin Hye exited the cafeteria. She did not want to fall in line while torturing her heart with a confession on Rose Day that was never meant for her.

She went out of the campus to eat and cry her eyes out.

*****

Lecture time.

The professor reminded the class of the assignment regarding Chapter 13 of the Iliad, and she scanned around the classroom.

"Park Shin Hye," the teacher called out.

Shin Hye stood up and was told by the teacher to discuss the lesson in front of the class. She had studied the chapter well because she was not in the mood to entertain her heartaches. When she started to grab the chalk, the teacher noticed that Shin Hye did not look well at all.

"Gwaenchanhayo?" Ssaem asked her. "You look beat, as if you had been into the Trojan War yourself."

"Gwaenchanhseumnida," Shin Hye replied.

She started to discuss, making her voice a bit perky, but her voice trailed off than she intended to. When her eyes met Yong Hwa's gaze, she took it off immediately.

Yong Hwa, meanwhile, was astonished when Shin Hye took her eyes off him and did not have eye contact.

"What... what's wrong with her?" he asked. "She... she looks sad. But why?"

He did not tell Seo Hyun about it because he knew he needed to talk to Shin Hye first.

*****

That afternoon, Seo Hyun went to the dean's office for some business, so Yong Hwa went to the library because he knew Shin Hye always went there. He found her trying to grab a book on the highest part of the bookshelf, but she could not because of her height. He smiled in mischief and went over to her. He grabbed the book that she was trying to grab and handed it to her. Shin Hye looked at him in shock.

"You could have grabbed that A-frame over there," he told her as he handed the book.

"Ah...ne..." she replied with a weak voice. "Gamsa."

He looked at her walking away as if trying to avoid him, so he held her wrist.

"Gwaenchanha?" he asked.

Shin Hye looked at him with her sad eyes, much to his surprise. He had never seen her this low.

"Gwaenchanha?" he asked again.

"Ye..." she said, wriggling her hand off his grip.

He looked at her in surprise, wondering if she had something to lie about.

"Ya, if you have a problem, can you just tell me what it is?" he asked her. "We are friends. I will help you sort out your problem."

"Chingu?" she asked weakly, making him uncomfortable.

"Ya. You are starting to freak me out," Yong Hwa said, starting to panic. "Are you sure you are really all right?"

"I am just tired," she said weakly before setting alone to a table filled with books.

Yong Hwa knew that when Shin Hye wanted to study, she usually fortified herself with books, so he let her be. But it disturbed him so much that she suddenly distanced herself.

*****

The next day, Yong Hwa came in earlier than all his classmates. He opened the drawer of his desk and was astonished to find a scrap of red paper tucked inside a notebook that he had left behind. He was about to throw it when he flipped it to the back, and he saw a note at the back:

   This heart of mine, please take it.

He smiled, thinking that it might have been from Seo Hyun. His girlfriend really was sweet, and he did not know that she had developed the knack for writing over the years. He was smiling like silly when Shin Hye came in the room, looking solemn and in deep thought.

"Annyeong?" he greeted merrily.

"Annyeong?" she greeted back with a solemn voice.

Yong Hwa felt that Shin Hye suddenly became a stranger to him. She looked so different from the coy, flirty, and fun-loving Shin Hye he knew back in Japan. He kept the paper, then sat on her table.

"Ya," she said. "Get off my table."

"Shin Hye-ya, Seo Hyun-ah and I will be going out for ice cream later this lunch," he invited her. "Wanna join?"

"Thanks, but I will be meeting Ara and Hara," she said. "They miss me so."

A flash of sadness crossed Yong Hwa's face. He missed being with Hara and Ara, but he missed Shin Hye the most.

"Shin Hye-ya, will it be all right if the five of us--me, Seo Hyun, you, Ara, and Hara--hang out some time?" he asked her.

Shin Hye looked at him tiredly, "Mianhae... I... I am tired."

Yong Hwa flipped his chair to face her, then he placed his hand on her forehead, but she cocked her head away from his head, much to his sadness.

"Shin Hye-ya...."

"Mianhae... I want to study alone," she said.

Yong Hwa replied. "I think I do not know my bestfriend anymore."

He sadly turned away to study and wait for Seo Hyun. Shin Hye felt her chest tightening up when he revealed that he had found her strange.

And did he say that she was his bestfriend?

Seo Hyun came in and saw the two not talking to each other, and she frowned in her thought. Eversince she and Yong Hwa became a couple, she noticed that Shin Hye was starting to act strange. Something must be going on.

"Could it be that...?" she asked herself.

And a hunch hit her.

"Andwae," Seo Hyun thought. "Shin Hye should not fall for my boyfriend. He is mine!"

And from that day on, she shed off her timidness around Shin Hye and did not act polite when there was no need.

******

Yong Hwa never told Seo Hyun about Shin Hye, nor about the love letters he got on some days. These letters were what kept him going because he was thinking that Seo Hyun gave it to him. So when he received eight pieces, he decided to bring them all home.

In his room, he grabbed all the pieces and reckoned that these must be a puzzle, so he put them to pieces. To his astonishment, it almost formed a heart. He grabbed some Scotch tape and put the pieces together. Then, he flipped backward and saw the lines of a poem that was written on each piece.

      This heart of mine, please take it.

      You're the only one I want,

      The only one I need.

       Everyday, I wake up, eager to see you

       Every night, I go to sleep, thinking of you

       For in my heart, there is only you.

       Though tired, I keep on thinking of you.

      This poor heart of mine just wanted to say.

******

June 14, Kiss Day.

Yong Hwa was being cheesy again, so he made a show that lunch time. He was so happy to be dedicating another song to his girlfriend. He watched the crowd gathering to him and waiting, but the three fan girls were starting to protest. Some fans told the fan girls to shut up and leave, but they did not because they wanted to hear him sing.

Seo Hyun grabbed two guitars and gave one to him. Soon, the two of them started to sing for the crowd, much to their delight. Shin Hye, who came in hungry as usual, saw them playing songs lovingly. Her heart ached so much that she wanted to go upstage, grab the guitar, and hit both of them with it.

"That is our song for all of you today for Kiss Day," Yong Hwa said.

"What a jerk!" one of the fan girls whispered to a friend, and Shin Hye was able to hear it.

Yong Hwa and Seo Hyun stood up and bowed. He gave his guitar to her, who gave it to a classmate. It shocked everybody--Seo Hyun and Shin Hye included, because Yong Hwa grabbed his girlfriend by the waist, pulled her close, and kissed her sweetly in front of everybody.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!" the fan girls cried.

The leader started to cry, and then, she got a glimpse of Shin Hye, who did not know that the leader saw her. Shin Hye shifted her gaze away from the stage and walked away.

"Did you see that?" one of the three said. "That hoobae seems to be hurt!"

"I see that," the leader said, wiping her tears. "She is just the same as us!!"

And they cried again.

*****

That afternoon, after classes, Yong Hwa opened his desk drawer and found another piece of paper. He hid it in his wallet and went out of the room with Seo Hyun. As usual, Shin Hye went to the library to study.

*****

Yong Hwa smiled upon reading the latest piece:

     I love you....

He pasted it along with the others. Then, he grabbed his phone and called his jagiya.

"Ya, Saranghae," he started.

"Saranghae,"  Seo Hyun said. "Geunde, jeoge mwoya (But, what is that)?"

"Thanks for the love notes," he said.

"Love notes?" Seo Hyun asked in confusion.

"Ne. You... you were not sending me love notes?" he asked.

"Ani. I only send you sweet text messages," Seo Hyun said.

Yong Hwa realized that it was somebody else tucking those notes in his notebook.

"Those sweet text messages, those are love notes," Yong Hwa lied.

"Ah, jeongmal. They are," Seo Hyun said.

After hanging up the call, Yong Hwa bit his lips. He had no idea who had been sending him those notes. As for Seo Hyun, she thought it might be Shin Hye.

"Just you wait for my wrath, Shin Hye," she vowed.

*****

The  next day, Shin Hye came in early as usual, and she sat down on her chair to study. Yong Hwa came in and saw Shin Hye whistling some happy tunes. He lit up a smile of relief and greeted her. Shin Hye looked up like nothing happened and greeted him.

"It feels good to see you smile again," Yong Hwa said.

"Geurae. I am feeling great today," she said.

Of course, with her crying sessions last night, Ara and Hara told her to just forget Yong Hwa and do well in studying, just like the two of them. The three of them vowed to make it to the dean's list. Whoever would not make it would have to treat them to a vacation in Boracay in the Philippines. Shin Hye thought it was a great deal because she had heard of Boracay often, and she made it her inspiration to do well and make it to the list. She definitely wanted a free trip to the island paradise, care of Ara or Hara, or even from the two of them. She did not tell Yong Hwa that the bet made her mood good.

"Nice to know," he said.

He sat on his table and stared at her as she seriously studied for the next chapter of the Odyssey. Seo Hyun came in and saw her jagiya looking intently at her love rival.

"Annyeong, Jagiya?" she greeted.

Yong Hwa got down from his table and went to her and kissed her in front of everybody. Then, the teacher came in and started with the lesson.

"Class, I am suffering from another bouts of toothache, so will Park Shin Hye take over and discuss the last chapter of the Odyssey?"

Shin Hye was a bit pissed off because this was the fifth time that the teacher had her discuss, as if she was the only student in the room.

"Arasseoyo," Shin Hye said.

She stood up and started discussing the last chapter of the Homeric epic. As she was having a discourse, Seo Hyun raised her hand.

"Ne, Seo Hyun-ssi?"

The girl began to speak. "I think it is better now that Odysseus is back in the arms of Penelope and can proceed in his duty as Telemachus' father, don't you think?"

"Ah, geureohseumnida," Shin Hye replied in affirmation. "Zeus made it so that the King of Ithaca should go home, and with Athena's help as well."

"Well, the story would have been different if Antinoos and the other suitors had succeeded in stringing the bow, right?" Seo Hyun said. "It just shows that what rightly belongs to one should only belong to that person."

Shin Hye fumed. Did Seo Hyun mean something by that?

"I agree with that notion. Had Antinoos been diligent enough to tie the string of the bow, and had he been successful in Penelope's game, he could have won her," Shin Hye said. "But then, as in all stories with moral lesson, those who are evil never win."

"I agree," Seo Hyun said. "However, it just is a shame for someone who looks so calm and regal to be so evil."

Shin Hye thought that Seo Hyun was talking about her, with all the evil smile and smirk.

"Antinoos was regal, but he was not calm," Shin Hye corrected her. "I allow discussions here since I am the reporter, but do it at the right time because I am not yet done discussing the chapter."

The students had mixed reactions, and murmurs started boiling. Seo Hyun fumed because Shin Hye had cut her rudeness some slack, and Shin Hye bluntly continued discussing the lesson. After the discourse, the teacher asked whether the students have any questions, but no one replied.

"I guess you understood the lesson, so let us have a quiz," the teacher said.

*****

That lunch time, Yong Hwa approached Shin Hye and invited her for dinner that evening at a certain Korean restaurant. She wanted to decline, but he begged her to come.

And so, that evening, she went to the restaurant stated by Yong Hwa. She went to a room reserved for them, and she found out that Seo Hyun and Yong Hwa had invited the three fan girls for dinner.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Seonbae?" she greeted the three.

The three fan girls were all smiles and greeted her cheerfully. When all of them were in place, they all talked like cronies. Later, as the food came in, Seo Hyun acted as host and distributed the kimbap. The leader of the fan girls was astonished to find that Shin Hye received two kimbap, while each of them received only one.

Seo Hyun began to smirk and turned to Shin Hye, who started to eat her kimbap.

"I guess there are just some people here who look calm and regal but are actually evil deep inside," she started.

Shin Hye put down her kimbap and asked her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Do you think I actually am dumb as to not to find out that you are the one handing out those love notes to Yong Hwa?" Seo Hyun said. "He threw the notes away after I told him of my hunch. Do you think I am not smart to figure out it was you?"

Shin Hye was taken aghast because she was found out, and even the fan girls were shocked.

"Do you have evidence to show that it was me?" Shin Hye asked.

"Seonbae does not know where Yong Hwa is sitting, and only the three of us know," Seo Hyun said.

"Is that even conclusive?" Shin Hye argued.

"Can you just tell me honestly?" Yong Hwa asked Shin Hye.

Shin Hye was smarting at the remark, so she scoffed at them--excluding the seonbaes.

"Ah, now I know why you invited me to dinner, so that you can insult me?" she said bitterly. "And you gave me two kimbap, unlike the seonbaes who receive one, so that you can insult me as much as you like! You even insulted me... in front of my favorite food! I vow, that because of the trauma you caused me, I shall never eat kimbap again!"

She got up and left the table, leaving everyone else speechless.

*****

Good thing that the next day was a Saturday, without classses, and it gave Shin Hye time to cool off. She spent her afternoons at Ara's house, drinking milk tea and singing with her friends.

Shin Hye declined dinner because she'd be eating home. Besides, upon seeing the kimbap that Hara unwittingly had prepared, Shin Hye's appetite disappeared. She walked home to kill time. But then, she had to walk back home fast because it was already six in the evening.

"Shin Hye-ya," a familiar husky deep voice called her.

She turned around and tortured herself even if she knew that the voice belonged to Yong Hwa. She solemnly gave a bow at him. Yong Hwa slowly walked up to her, feeling a bit guilty that he had made her feel bad.

"Let's talk," he said.

Shin Hye followed him to the park, and both of them sat on the swing. All the while, Yong Hwa looked at her for explanations, but she evaded his eyes by looking far ahead.

"Tell me honestly," he begged ernestly. "Do you love me?"

His voice quivered that it hit her right on the spot. His question sounded too painful, and though it was painful, nothing could make her deny that she loved him. She nodded her head humbly without meeting his gaze.

"I am flattered that you feel that way for me," he said.

Shin Hye looked at him, unsure on what to feel about it.

"But I do not feel the same way," he said. "Mianhae."

Shin Hye stopped her tears from falling by acting tough, so she smiled a  bit and looked far ahead.

"I know. I know you would say that," she said. "I prepared for the day that you will eventually say that. Do not worry, I am okey. I wish... I wish I had not fallen for you in the first place. If I could turn back time, I could have stopped my heart from feeling this way. If only... If only I could have stopped myself from getting jealous at Seo Hyun, things would not have turned out this way."

Yong Hwa looked hard at her, trying to see tears in her eyes. There were none, but he was sure that her heart was crying when she said that, and it made him feel bad that he had hurt her without intending to. But he was just being honest. He did not love Shin Hye.

Shin Hye looked at him and asked for his hand. He held out his hand, getting curious as to why.

"I will be giving you something, but please look at it when I am gone," she begged.

She grabbed something from her pocket, but since her hand was fisted, he had no idea what it was. She placed it on his hand and closed his hand into a fist.

"I wish... I wish I had never felt this way for you," she said in the brink of tears. "Mianhae, mianhae, mianhae, mianhae, mianhae, mianhae, mianhae, mianhae..."

Then, she stood up and ran with all her might. Yong Hwa tried to call her, but he could not catch up with her. Remembering the object in his fist, he opened his hand and saw a red cutout. He looked back at her, who was no longer in sight.

"It... It's Shin Hye?" he asked.

He stood up to look for her.

"Shin Hye-ya! Shin Hye-ya!" he called out.

He walked, trying to retrace her path. Then, at the corner of a convenient store, he saw her crying her heart. She cried like she was beaten, exhausted, giving up. She cried like she was someone who lost everything in her life. Her tears were more than the sum of the tears of all the Trojan women who cried when the city fell to ruins.

His heart tightened to see his bestfriend cry. He was not sorry that he did not love her. He was sorry that he had hurt her.

"Mianhae..." he whispered as he let tears fall down.

He looked back at the red paper in his hand, and when he flipped it, he read the final message:

    But I have to say goodbye.

It astonished him that she had been carrying the last piece all along.

****

In his room, he attached the last piece to the other pieces. The heart was completed, and he read the poem once again.

     

      This heart of mine, please take it.

      You're the only one I want,

      The only one I need.

      Everyday, I wake up, eager to see you

      Every night, I go to sleep, thinking of you

      For in my heart, there is only you.

      Though tired, I keep on thinking of you.

      This poor heart of mine just wanted to say.

      I love you....

      But I have to say goodbye.

 

He looked at the heart and realized that it was all broken pieces which he attached together. Shin Hye gave him the broken pieces of her sad heart. Can he repair her heart like the way he did with the red paper?

"Shin Hye!" he said.

He ran out of the house to look for her back at the place where he last saw her, but there was no sign of her.

*****

The next day, Yong Hwa broke up with Seo Hyun.

"Why... why are you doing this to me?" Seo Hyun cried. "I love you and you know that!"

"Mianhae..."

Seo Hyun slapped him, tears flowing her eyes.

"I hate you!" she screamed. "Is this because of Shin Hye?"

"Mianhae. I am confused. I... I want space," he said.

Seo Hyun cried in front of him, but he did not hug her. His heart did not hurt more than what he had experienced when he watched Shin Hye cry. For him, he wanted to wrap his arms around Shin Hye. He found that he wanted to comfort her more than he would comfort Seo Hyun.

"Mianhae," he said before walking away.

Seo Hyun stood in place, crying her heart out.

****

The next day, Monday.

Shin Hye found it awkward when she passed by Yong Hwa's seat, as he came in early. And Yong Hwa felt awkward when Seo Hyun came in. Seo Hyun went to Wooyoung's seat and exchanged seats with him. Wooyoung went forward, but he asked Shin Hye if they could exchange places. Shin Hye looked at her friend in fright because it would mean that she would have to sit beside Yong Hwa.

"Wooyoung-ah," Shin Hye pouted.

Wooyoung yielded and sat on Seo Hyun's seat. Yong Hwa felt relief because Wooyoung had no connection between them whatsoever.

*****

For weeks, the three of them did not talk. In the middle of the school year, Seo Hyun dropped out of Yonsei to go back to Sungkyunkwan University. Yong Hwa felt a bit sad because he and his childhood chum had not patched up, but he felt even more sad because he and Shin Hye were so near, but they were so far.

One Friday evening, Shin Hye ran all the way home because it was starting to rain.

"Eotteohke? Oh, Hara and Ara will be mad," she thought.

Just then, the rain in front of her stopped, and she realized that someone placed a cover over her head. When she looked up, it was Yong Hwa, who was soaking wet.

"Gaja," he said.

She weakly followed him to the bus stop so that both of them could stay out of the rain. For thirty minutes, they sat down without a word. Later, he invited her to eat with him in a Korean restaurant, and she followed without resistance.

They got in a room where they could eat by themselves, and he ordered food for them.

"Shin Hye-ya, I know it is cold, but I will order hot ramyeon to warm us both," he tried to say it cheerfully.

She did not talk nor responded at all. She just fixed her gaze at the cherry on the flower pot beside Yong Hwa. So, she did not recognize the food being served by the attendant.

"Jal meokgetseumnida," Yong Hwa and Shin Hye said to the waitress.

Shin Hye absentmindedly retrieved her chopstick, then as she started to pick some food, she saw that kimbap was being served, so she looked at him in hurt.

"You know I no longer eat it," she gravely said.

"I know you are still traumatized after Seo Hyun insulted you after offering two kimbap to you," he said sadly. "But I want you to get over it... for me..."

"SHIRHEO!" she protested.

"Shin Hye-ya, I just want you to eat it... and remember that you ate it... with me," he said.

"Shirheo!" she said again.

Shin Hye protested and began to eat the other food and the ramyeon without even touching kimbap. Yong Hwa got a kimbap and handed it to her, but she declined.

"It is bad to decline the host," he said gravely.

Shin Hye only continued eating the other food. Later, Yong Hwa ordered soju, so the waitress brought some. When the waitress went away, Yong Hwa served soju to Shin Hye being her host. Shin Hye grabbed the shot glass and drank the content in one gulp, then continued eating the other foods except for the kimbap.

Yong Hwa excused himself to pay for the food before going back in the room. By the time he was back, Shin Hye was drowning on soju, but the kimbap was still left untouched.

"You are not eating it?" he asked.

Shin Hye pounded the glass on the table and retorted, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"Why are you doing this to me, huh?" she demanded.

"I do not understand you anymore," Yong Hwa screamed as he closed the door shut. "You said you are okey. Why are you being defensive?"

"How can I move on when you are always here?" she asked, laying down her wrongs.

Yong Hwa was taken aback.

"So...you are trying to forget me?" he asked.

"I will forget you, starting today," she said.

Shin Hye stood up and went to the door, and Yong Hwa looked at her in hurt.

"Shin Hye-ya!"

He followed her all the way out, and it was a good thing that it was no longer raining.

"Gaji ma," Yong Hwa begged.

Shin Hye stopped upon hearing him beg not to go. She turned to him and asked defensively.

"Mwo?"

"I... I see you," he said. "All I ever saw was you."

Shin Hye would hear none of it that she started to walk away again.

"Do you know that I was really bothered when you changed? I had no idea you were jealous of Seo Hyun and hurting all along, but it really bothered me to death," he explained.

Shin Hye did not look at him as he gave her a back hug.

"Gaji ma," he begged in a whisper.

Shin Hye shed her tears because he was really begging her to stay, so she turned her head to him. Though he gave her a back hug, he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss upon her lips.

Shin Hye blushed because she finally got to be kissed by the guy that she loved, and she kissed him back.

After the soft kiss, Yong Hwa whispered.

"Saranghae."

Shin Hye felt her knees getting all gooey.

"I don't know what to do if I lose you," he said. "I want to patch up your broken heart. I do not want to hurt you anymore."

Then, he leaned forward again to give her another kiss while maintaining the back hug.

*****

"MWO????" Ara asked in delight.

"Hwansangjeogida (Amazing)!" Hara excitedly said.

"You heard it girls," Yong Hwa said proudly. "Shin Hye is officially my yeochin."

"And Yong Hwa is officially my namchin," Shin Hye explained.

(yeochin-short for yeojachingu [GF], namchin-short for namjachingu [BF])

"Wohooo!!!! So happy for you both," Hara said. 

"Let's disco!" Ara said.

"I am tired of going to the disco," Shin Hye said. "Let's all take a walk."

"O, johahae," Ara crooned.

And so, the four friends went to the park that late afternoon to stroll. Ara and Hara were watching eye candies, and they giggled when two guys looked their way. The cute one with eye smile winked at Hara, and the tall one with goddess features smiled at Ara.

"Ara-ya, we are soooo gonna melt," Hara said.

Our YongShin couple walked behind them, walking even slowly, never mind if they could not catch up with the other girls. They spent their time smiling at each other while holding  hands.

They were best friends.

They used to be best friends.

Not anymore.

They are lovers.

 

~~~~END~~~~

(Up next: YongShin couple with Min Hyuk)

 

~~~~~