“You’re so dumb, Himchan.” You laughed when your friend stuffed two dumplings into his mouth.

            “Ung mme? Yung are the sdupid one.” He chewed noisily and purposely with his mouth open. You could see the breaking down of food and cringed.

            “You’re so unattractive.”

            He snorted. “Right.” He swallowed. “And that’s why I happened to get the hottest girl in the school.”

            His words stopped your laughter and you sobered. You looked at him. “What?”

            He preened, clearly proud of himself. “You heard right, babe. I finally got Hyosung. It took years, mind you, but I finally did it.”

            You choked on your milk. “Wow. I see. Congratulations.”

            He patted your head. “Aww, don’t be sad. You’ll always be my best friend. You’ll just have to fight to book me if you want to hang out.” He winked at you and handed you his trash. “Be a doll and throw it out for me?”

            All your rage and hurt came out and you threw it at his head. “Do it yourself, you bum. Or you can get Hyosung to do it for you.” You walked out of the cafeteria.

            For the six years since you’ve known Himchan, you’ve heard him fanboy over Hyosung almost every day. But he always said she was too high maintenance for him and that he was too cool to beg for a girl. You’ve known about your feelings for him for a while now and had tried to control them. But Himchan was always there. You saw him every day and he was always close to you, never one to shy away from skinship.

            You told yourself that you would not allow yourself to fall for him any more than you already had. But obviously your heart had other feelings. It hurt to know that he has finally made his move. At least before, you could have hoped.

            You waited for his calls.  They never came. You waited for his texts, for him to message you but he must have forgotten about you because for the first time since you two became friends, you guys did not fall asleep together.

            Himchan came into the school the next day with Hyosung on his arm. The two of them walked down the hallways and he stopped by her locker. He backed her against the metal and you watched them kiss. His hands ran down to her hips and you swallowed. Whatever. It would be better if you learned to move on. You decided to ignore him.

            “So, we’re going on our first date tonight.” He whispered to you when he slipped into his seat next to you in science.

            You didn’t look up from your notebook. “Mhm, that’s nice.”

            He pouted. “Do you think it’s smart to take her to a fancy restaurant from the beginning or would she be expecting too much from me afterwards?”

            “I don’t know. I’ve actually never been on a date before.”  You shrugged nonchalantly and the teacher walked in. When the bell rang, you were out the door before Himchan could even put down his pencil.

            He was never one for tact but you made it a point to avoid him. You knew he didn’t expect you to wait for him after school so you left early. Your phone buzzed.

            Yo, where are you? I’ve been waiting since the bell rang. I didn’t see you come out of music. Are you ditching me?

You ignored it. He texted you again and you turned your phone off. It was irrational of you to throw away a friendship that had lasted for so long but you didn’t want to break your heart even more.

            When he entered class the next day, a new boy was sitting where he sat and the two of you were chatting animatedly. Himchan stopped in front of the seat and the boy looked up. “Hey, I’m Yongguk. It’s nice to meet you.”

            Himchan stared at the new boy. “That’s my seat, man.”

            Yongguk made to stand but you stopped him. “Aww, but I promised you I would show you around the school. It’s okay. Himchan can sit elsewhere.” Yongguk sat back down and Himchan stared at you. You ignored his burning gaze and pretended to smile at Yongguk.

            He finally got the hint and soon all communication between the two of you ended. You started dating Yongguk and were quite happy. It was shameful to lose Himchan but you got someone else who was just as good. You still saw him around school but he only nodded coldly and you only gave a blink to acknowledge him.

            “I’m sorry. My dad got moved again. I can’t stay in Seoul much longer. We’re going back to Thailand.”

            You stared at Yongguk, not really believing his words. You knew that it was his father’s job as ambassador that brought him to Korea but you never dreamed that he would have to leave again.

            “Thank you for making my seven months here memorable. I won’t forget you.” Yongguk leaned over and kissed you softly. His hands squeezed yours and he handed you a slip of paper with a number you know you would never call. When he pulled away, you felt the air around you constrict and disappear.

            “Hey. I heard about what happened.” Himchan was back in his regular seat. You didn’t have the heart to tell him to move.

            The classroom was still empty and you allowed a tear to roll down your cheek. “Don’t cry.” He thumbed away the water and you flinched. “Did you really like him?”

            You nodded and he sighed. “I guess I lost my chance.”

            Your heart started to thump and you looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. Himchan turned to look at you. “Hyosung isn’t my type. We broke up three weeks ago. I don’t know how to tell you, but you’re my type. It was always you. I was just too much of a coward to admit it.” You kept silent. “I knew that you liked me.” Your cheeks flamed. “And I didn’t do anything to stop you because I figured that one day I would be able to confess to you. But then Hyosung came and Yongguk and now I feel like I’ve lost my chance.” He tilted his chair back and let out another sigh.

            You were silent for a while. Then you slowly extended your hand and covered his. “It’s never too late to start again.” 

plot requested by lovebug ^^ 

enjoy baby~