“Jinki ya, gomawo.” I had found something for Minho.

“Gwenchana. You will have to buy me food after this, arasso?” Jinki took the shopping bag from my hand. He chuckled as he asked me to buy him food. Lee Jinki and food could never be separated, especially chicken.

“Arasso. I’ll buy you your favorite chicken. Gaja!” I took his hand and then we went to Jinki’s favorite chicken restaurant.

There in the restaurant, Jinki ate passionately. I couldn’t stop him when he met his preious fried chicken.

“Eat slowly; you’ll choke if you eat like that. Aigoo…” I ruffled Jinki’s hair as I watched him eating. I only could eat two or three fried chicken while Jinki could eat almost ten. He was daebak when it came to eating chicken. He was so cute when he ate; it looked like watching a 5 year old boy eating. Lee Jinki, my best friend. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for always be with me whenever I need you.

Jinki POV

Jinki yaa.. You’re a fool. You could tell her earlier. It was late. I was late. I couldn’t tell her. I was like being hit by a thunder when she came cheerfully and said that to me.

Just a while ago….

Hyesun was running toward me. Her face was bright, unusually bright. She was always bright but this time, there must be something that made her so happy.

“Jinki ya, Jinki ya… aaaaah.”

“Wae? Why are you so happy? You even embarrassed yourself with that cute ‘aaah’ thing.” I pretended to read my book when actually I was so happy when he took my hand.

“Jinki ya, you know Choi Minho right? The one from arts department.”

“Ah, that tall, good-looking, cold-hearted guy?”

“Ya! Don’t talk about my boyfriend like that!”

“What?! Your boyfriend?” I was so shocked to hear that. I knew that Choi Minho had many fan girls, but Hyesun… “Don’t joke around like that. People would never believe that, you know.”

“Ya! Lee Jinki! You are so mean you know! I don’t lie. He is really my boyfriend. Now. Hihi… look, I really mean it this time. I am already over Kim Jonghyun now. I already forget him. Jinjja ya, this time, I am sure Minho is the right person.”

“Hyesun aa, jangnanhajima!”

“Jangnan aniya! Aniragoo!”

“Jinjja ya?”

“hmm…”

“Wah, daebak. You really are Choi Minho’s girlfriend now? Then you should be careful. He has many fans. Fan girls.”

“It’s okay. He will protect me from them. He promised me.” Hyesun couldn’t stop smiling. She was so happy.

“Sorry then for calling your boyfriend a cold-hearted guy. Hihi..” I forced a smile, a giggle I mean.

After that, she bombarded me with her stories, how she could have a relationship with Choi Minho. Actually I was a bit worried. It was true that Choi Minho was a cold-hearted guy. He had never treated girls well. He always hurt their feeling. I heard that when he was in high school, he received hundreds of love letters everyday and those letters were not just from his high school but also from other high school. And I hear that the girls in my high school also liked him. He was just like a prince. However, Hyesun always talked bad about that cold-hearted guy when one of her friends in high school was depressed because she was rejected (and humiliated) by Choi Minho. Hearing that from her friend, Hyesun really hated Minho. It was so shocking for me to hear that Minho was Hyesun’s boyfriend.

It was my fault. I never had the courage to tell her about my feeling. Now it’s too late. I would never be able to tell her.

One night in a park near XXX University…

I rushed, I ran to the park. I saw Hyesun. I saw her upset face. She was definitely upset because of something. She sat at the swing.

“Hyesun aa, are you okay?” where’s Minho?”

“He didn’t come. I told him not to come.” She sighed.

“Did he forget it again? That you already had appointment with him; didn’t he the one who tell you to meet him here.”

“I called him; he told me that he forgot. I also told him that I am not coming too, that I forget it too.”

I patted her hair.

Another day…

It was Hyesun’s birthday. I wanted to ask her to celebrate it together. But before I could say that…

“Jinki ya… Minho asked me to celebrate my birthday together. Ah, jinjja. I couldn’t imagine it. I actually will celebrate my birthday with the most handsome guy in this university.”

“Wah, congratulation then!!!” I forced a smile to her.

She was about to go, again. Then I called her, “Hyesun aa…”

“Hmm?”

“Saengil chukhahae…”

“Hm… gomawo.” She waved and left me alone.

I was about to explode when she left. I couldn’t celebrate Hyesun’s birthday together with her. I couldn’t give her hug like I used to, like last year.

That night…

Minho texted me.

Minho : can you accompany Hyesun? I couldn’t come. There is something urgent.

I was so upset, angry, I couldn’t explain that feeling. I took my jacket and then I rushed to Hyesun’s apartment.

She was there in the living room. The room was decorated and there was a cake on the table. She turned her head as she heard me coming…

“Minho.. ya...” she stopped and shocked. “Jinki ya, what are you doing here.”

“Let’s celebrate it together, your birthday. It’s 11 PM now; you only have 1 hour to celebrate it.” I light up the candle. She didn’t understand the situation I guessed. She gave me a shocked look.

“Jinki yaa…”

“Araa…”

“Gomawo…”

We didn’t say anything, but we knew what each other mean. Her eyes were almost wet. Her teary eyes, I couldn’t see that. It was too precious, her tears…

We celebrate her birthday together. I did it. I didn’t miss it.

I was drunk that day. I drank soju and beer with Hyesun that night. I drank a lot, but Hyesun only drank a little. She only drank a can of beer.

I couldn’t remember what happen. The next day I found myself in Hyesun’s apartment.

I woke up. I smelled food. Hyesun was cooking. Maybe she made hangover soup for me. My head hurt a lot. I got up from the couch. I went to the kitchen. I saw her wearing a blue sweater and whit skirt. Her hair wasn’t tied up. She was a bit bothered. When she was cooking, she kept brushing her hair off with her backhand.

I approached her. I took a hair band and tied her hair up. Hyesun was shocked and almost hit my hand. She was ticklish.

“Gaman isso (stay still)!” She was freeze when I tied her hair.

“You’re awake? Is your head hurt? I’m making you this soup.” She smiled and stirred the soup. I loved her smile. I felt warm in my heart whenever I saw her smile. She was like an angel to me, but the weak one.

I took a glass of water and drank it. And then I looked at her back when she was cooking. I missed her. I’d never spend a lot of time with her these days. She was always with Minho. But she always cried in the end, because of that cold-hearted guy. There was this desire in my heart to take her back from him. I didn’t want to lose her. I hated seeing her crying.

I approached her. I put my hand in her shoulder. Then I gave her a back hug. It was warm. I could smell her fragrance. It was the nicest smell in this world. I felt like I was in a garden full of flowers.

But then…

Someone pulled me and punched me. I was so dizzy. I couldn’t stand up properly. I couldn’t see the person who punched me. I tried to stood up and open my eyes. It was Choi Minho. He was the one who pulled me and punched me.

“Minho ya…” Hyesun tried to pull Minho as he was trying to punch me again.

“How dare you do that to my girlfriend?” Minho shouted.

I was so angry to hear that from him. He didn’t deserve Hyesun, at all. He was bad. “Your girlfriend you said? When were you last night when she was waiting for you? What have you done to her the other day when she cried a lot? You don’t know right? You are a bad guy you know. You don’t deserve her!”

“Jinki ya! Keumanhae!!! Enough! You said enough! What’s your right to said that about Minho? What’s your right to say that he doesn’t deserve me? Who are you?” I was so shocked to hear Hyesun saying that to me.

“Hyesun aa…”

“Get out! Get out from my house. You are just my friend. Please don’t make it worse between me and Minho. You’ll be nothing to me if you say that once again.”

I was so shocked that Hyesun said that to me. I thought she wouldn’t say that to me. “Okay, I’ll get out.”

From that day, I decided to get out. Not just from her house, I got out completely from her life.

Hyesun POV

I received a letter from Jinki. It wasn’t really a letter, it was just a note.

Mianhae

Saranghae

Jinki

That’s it. ‘Mianhae’, I can understand that. But ‘ saranghae’? did he love me this whole time? And I couldn’t realize that ye he was so close to me.

I ran to his apartment. But no one was there. There was an ajumma passed, she poked me.

“You are looking for Jinki?”

“Ne, ajumma.”

“He’s gone. He went to US. Her mom was sick there. He said that he wanted to accompany her.”

I was so shocked. Jinki left me, only with this note. I felt sorry. I was a bad friend to him this whole time, yet he was so nice to me. He always protected me and accompanied me whenever I need him. But now he left me.

I don’t know when I would be able to meet him again.

Mianhae, chin-gu ya… Mianhae, Lee Jinki.