The room was dark, and it had an eerie sense to it. The blonde haired, honey skinned girl stood in the middle of the dark room, confused as to how she ended up in there. Her skin felt a cold, uncanny sensation. She wanted to cry out for help, but there was no voice coming out from . She wanted to run, but the darkness of the room scared the hell out of her that she didn’t want to risk of running into something. She just stood there, panting, waiting for the daunting unknown. She trembled, her hands grew cold and her teeth chattered. The eeriness of the room was gnawing her. Suddenly, her whole life flashes through her head. The people she met, the people she loved, and that person. That one person…

“Sica! Sica! Jung Jessica!”

The young man beside Jessica shook her body, trying to wake her from her deep sleep. Jessica groaned only to wake up with a sour expression.

“WHAT?!”

“SHHHHHHHHH!!!”

 They were both sitting in a movie and the people watching behind them threw deathly glares at them. Jessica was still half awake and she hadn’t realized she was still sitting in a movie theatre.

“Why are you sleeping? Your snoring is disturbing the other viewers.”

Jessica could only sigh as she tries to bring herself up to consciousness. She straightened herself and glared back at the young man beside her.

“Yah Lee Donghae.  I just came from a 12 hour shift and I did 3 operations today. So don’t expect me to keep myself from sleeping because I am damn tired!” Jessica exclaimed. Again the people behind them hushed to keep her quiet, only to get an indifferent response from the blonde-haired Jessica. With knitted brows she faced the screen and grudgingly continued watching the movie. Donghae, on the other hand, could only sigh at the reaction of his friend. He reached out into his bag and dug up a small box of chocolates.

“Here. I brought this for you.” Donghae whispered, but only to get ignored by Jessica. He predicted this would happen so he got another small box from his bag. “Okay then…” Donghae waved the small box in front of Jessica to get her attention. “I’ll just eat these by myself…” Donghae teased. He took a piece of red liquorice and was about to bite on it, but Jessica’s hands were faster than the speed of light that in just a matter of seconds, she was now the one chewing on the red liquorice.

“Just because you brought these for me it means that I forgive you.” Jessica said.

“Forgive me? Yah! What did I do?” Donghae’s voice grew loud and he was now the one getting hushed by the people behind them. The brown-haired lad bowed his head in apology.

Jessica snickered beside him and replied, “I told you I’m not in the mood to watch a movie today. If I hadn’t been a really great friend I would have let you drag me here.”

“But you agreed to watch it with me last week. You know I’ve wanted to watch this movie before.” Donghae replied in a sour tone. “A great friend never breaks promises.”

“Fine. Fine.” Jessica uttered in defeat. She knows no matter what her argument is, she will never win over Donghae’s whimpering and puppy pleads. “But after this we are eating in a Japanese restaurant. I’m suddenly craving for curry.”

“But we have reservations—“

“No buts. I need to eat curry and that’s final.”

Donghae shrugged. Jessica’s domineering and strict personality never fails to live up to Donghae’s expectations. Jessica will forever be the alpha woman in his life.

*******

The friendship between Jessica and Donghae had been going on since forever. The first met when they were still kids in an orphanage. Donghae was around 10 years old by the time he became an orphan while Jessica was born an orphan. Donghae was new in the orphanage Jessica had been staying. Both Donghae’s parents died in an airplane crash and because of the trauma, Donghae became secluded and he wouldn’t speak to anyone. Jessica on the other hand had a rough personality, having to grow with the fact that she got abandoned by her parents and was forced to live a life without the love and care of her parents. She discovered life the hard way and her rough exterior shielded the fragile little girl that is Jessica. The two of them never really interacted with each other in the orphanage because Donghae was always all alone in a corner, while Jessica was the one leading the other kids in the orphanage. Until one day, when the nuns that managed the orphanage decided to have a field trip with the kids in the woods, it changed both of their lives forever.

“Wait for me; I’ll just go to the restroom.”

The movie had finally ended and the two friends stood outside the movie theatre. As Jessica left for the ladies’ room, Donghae looked around the movie posters while waiting for her.

“Oh! Professor Lee!”

Donghae quickly turned around and a trio of college students greeted him excitedly.

“It’s really different to see you outside the classroom Professor Lee!” One of the girls exclaimed.

“You look really handsome without your boring glasses Professor Lee!”

“Yeah! You should often go out without those glasses. They make you look old Professor Lee! You wouldn’t want to waste that handsome face of yours.” And the girls continued giggling.

Donghae just smiled, even though he loathed it when people call his glasses boring. They’re not boring they’re…

“He really hates it when people criticize his things.”

Donghae froze up at the sound of that familiar voice. He turned his head to the side and Jessica was already beside him, forcing a smile. He shot her a look but Jessica just ignored it.

“Uhhh. Sica, these are my students.” Donghae introduced the three girls with a hint of nervousness in his tone. “I bumped into them while waiting for you.”

“Is she your girlfriend Professor Lee?” One of the girls asked. One of them even raised a brow at Jessica and looked at her as if she was red meat ready for sale. Donghae gulped.

“No she’s not. She’s a great friend of mine…”

“Ohh. A great friend…” the girls mimicked Donghae in a knowing manner. One of them whispered something to the other, stared at Jessica and the two of them giggled. This made Donghae tense and he instantly knew what was coming at them.

“If she’s just a great friend, then you’re still single Professor Lee?” the girls continued giggling and whispering. Donghae was about to speak up when Jessica cut him off.

“My great friend Donghae is single.” Jessica paused to briefly look at Donghae and glared back at the three college girls with hawk like eyes that could bore through their soul. “And that’s because he doesn’t settle for girls that act like immature high school students that keep on criticizing his things and the people around him.”

Donghae tugged Jessica to stop but was still ignored by the latter. “So if you go around glaring at people and keep on giggling like kids on high dose of sugar, my great friend Donghae will never take a second look at you.” The three girls looked away and kept their head down in embarrassment. Jessica snorted and grabbed Donghae’s wrist and dragged him away from the trio.

“What was that for?” Donghae asked, slightly vexed. The two of them were now sitting in a taxi. Jessica turned her head to Donghae and let out a huge laugh. “You embarrassed me in front of my students and now you’re laughing? Thanks for being a great friend! Seriously…” Donghae added sarcastically. Jessica continued to laugh until she had contained herself. She looked at his frustrated friend, amused at his anger towards her.

“Professor Lee, I was just trying to save you from the little kids that were hitting on you.” Jessica teased and playfully pinched Donghae’s cheeks. “Besides those kids were looking at me like I’m some bug they can’t wait to step on.”

Donghae sighed and turned to Jessica. “But you didn’t have to tell them those things. They’re not even true!”

Jessica raised her brow and looked at his friend with scrutinizing eyes. “So you do like immature kids like them? I thought your tastes were much better than that.”

“It’s not that, I just didn’t want my students to get the wrong idea. I’m still their mentor you know. I’m still someone that they need to respect.”

“Fine. I’m sorry okay? Next time I’ll remember to put your reputation first Professor Lee.” Jessica replied. She smiled and pinched Donghae’s cheeks again.

“Just next time, don’t easily show people the real you…”

“YAH! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing…” Donghae teased, now it was his turn to annoy the great Jung Jessica. He knows her too well, that arguments like these never really create any impact in their friendship. They will fight and argue but the day never ends without them making up or patching things together. That’s what great about their relationship. They can always depend on each other just like how they’ve depended on each other for the past 15 years. They’ve both faced life that is full of trials and struggles and every twist and turn in their life just made their friendship even stronger. People may always seem to wonder how come an arrogant, strict and cold Jung Jessica could ever be great friends with the lenient and considerate Lee Donghae. It’s quite difficult to understand how two extremely different people can meet up in the middle. As to how they maintain their seemingly unchanging yet chaotic friendship, no one seems to know. As for the two of them, as long as they know they have each other’s backs, they don’t to ask for anything else. However, a lot of people always seem to misunderstand the friendship that they have. They always get mistaken as a couple because of their closeness. Maybe, unknowingly, both of them created a huge wall between their friendship and love. And this wall was something both of them never really dared to cross.

“Ah! I just remembered. What time do you leave work tomorrow?” Donghae asked. Jessica shrugged and replied,

“Maybe 10 in the evening? If I won’t have that much patients then I can leave a little earlier. Why?”

“Nothing. I’ll just pick you up in the hospital tomorrow.”

Jessica gave him a strange look and said, “Is there something going on tomorrow?”

“Nothing. Just forget it okay.”

“Whatever you say. Oh! We’re finally here.” And the taxi stopped in front of an old Japanese restaurant decorated with wooden embellishments. The two of them stepped out of the taxi and made their way inside the old, familiar restaurant.

This old Japanese restaurant is one of the few things they both love.

“Onee-san!”

Jessica instantly smiled as a small girl in a cute red kimono welcomed her. The girl about 5 years old rushed to Jessica and Donghae and immediately hugged Jessica’s legs.

“Aoi-chan, let onee-san take their seat first.” A charming motherly woman said and she headed towards the pair with an endearing smile. “How are my two favourite customers tonight?”

Donghae smiled and bowed to greet the woman, and Jessica did the same. The two of them followed the woman in light golden kimono. Jessica held the little girl’s hands while following the woman. They were escorted to their seats and both of them ordered curry.

“Donghae.”

“Umm?”

Jessica looked intently at his best friend with curious eyes. She examined him, beginning from his light brown, slightly messy hair, his well-defined nose, his kind, brown eyes, and his well-drawn jaw line to his white shirt which Donghae wore in a bit untidy way. Jessica shook her head and snorted.

“Why do you always attract young girls? I know you’re not that bad-looking but looking at you now…” She paused and she drew an imaginary line all over Donghae’s face and continued, “I don’t really get it what they see in you.”

Donghae chortled at his best friend’s sudden question and replied, “Just like you said, I’m not bad-looking. So they’re all after my looks…” He said, boasting.

“If a girl gets to be with you just because of your looks then she’ll be a very unlucky girl”

Donghae frowned, but Jessica quickly added, “I know you all too well Donghae. I know what’s good about you and what’s not.”

“Let’s start with the good things then.” Donghae replies as he took a sip of his water.

“Well for starters, it doesn’t really come as a surprise but you’re really a nice person. You’re friendly towards people and you treat them really well.”

“That’s good right? I mean I don’t think there’s a person in this world that doesn’t like a nice person.”

Jessica sighed and added, “But the thing with you is you’re too nice. It’s okay that you’re nice because I know you treat girls well, but being too nice will make you more vulnerable and girls will be taking advantage of that. They’ll easily step on you like a little bug.”

Donghae smiled and looked at Jessica with greasy eyes. “So you’re saying you’re too concerned for me? Is that it?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m just saying if you want to be in a good relationship, you need to find someone who’s not going to take advantage of your personality.”

“How will I know if a girl’s like that?”

Jessica closed her eyes briefly and relaxed her back on her chair. “That’s for you to know. Besides, I won’t give you to a girl that easily. She needs to fulfil my qualifications first before she fulfils yours.”

“Just admit it that you don’t want to see me with another girl.” Donghae replied with a sly smile, “You’re jealous.”

Jessica snorted and rolled her eyes. “I can’t use you if you’re another woman’s property right? It’s hard to ask for permission from your girl if I need to use or not. I still have property rights on you.”

“So you’re treating me like I’m some furniture right? That’s a good way to look at things.” Donghae sarcastically said. He looked away, obviously hurt from what his best friend had said.

“Hey, I’m still joking okay? Besides, if I say I can use you, wouldn’t it also mean you can use me? It’s the basics of our friendship.”Jessica remarked. “You know how greatly I depend on you. And you know you can always depend on me too. That’s why we’re best friends.”

Donghae turn his head to Jessica and smiled briefly. “If I can depend on you, then I’ll depend on you paying for my curry right?”

Jessica groaned, but chuckled after. Donghae laughed and soon the two of them began laughing.

“Okasa-san, why are onee-san and onii-san laughing?” the little girl in red kimono asked. She tugged her mother’s kimono and the woman just smiled warmly at her child,

“Because they’re happy that they know that they’re going to be together forever.”