Aish, that SeungHyun. Sometimes I just don't know what he's thinking.

I feel like he's giving me mixed signals. He already admitted to me that he liked Sung Mi, yet, it seemed like he really cared about me that day that we walked home in the rain. And then there was that other day when he fainted. When he tilted my chin up and we stared into each other's eyes, I felt something. My heart started to beat faster, but there was something more. His soft, sincere gaze went deep into me. It just felt so...so right.

The next day, I was walking in the hallway heading towards the library when I heard a particularly loud conversation on the other side of the hallway corner. Normally, I would've just pushed it aside and continued walking, but I stopped when I heard my name.

"C'mon, you and SungHyun-nie look good together! You should totally ask her out." It was Ji Wan's loud voice. But who was he talking to? I leaned closer to the corner, listening closely.

"Yea! You guys seem like a good match, just ask her." I recognized Jung Hyo's voice. "It's worth a shot, Seungri."

I froze. They were talking to SeungHyun? I dared a peek over the corner, managing not to be seen. There, standing in a semi-circle was SeungHyun, Ji Wan, Jung Hyo, and Ri Young. Sung Mi and Wan Dong were nowhere to be seen. 

"Well..." SeungHyun spoke up, and I held my breath, waiting for his reply. 

"...she's just a friend."

I stiffened up, trying to comprehend his words. I felt tears starting to well up in my eyes, so I turned around and ran back down the hallway, back the way I came.

-----------------------------------------

Over the next week, I tried to act as normal as possible. Whenever SeungHyun talked to me, I would respond enthusiastically, but I would never meet his eyes. I couldn't. If I did, I knew that I would break, and I wouldn't be able to hold it in anymore. So, I decided that I would try to let go of this foolish crush and just remain friends with him. I just wanted him to be happy anyways. 

After school, SeungHyun, Ji Wan, Jung Hyo, Ri Young, and I were walking back home together, when SeungHyun suddenly asked a question.

"Hey, where are Sung Mi and Wan Dong? I haven't seen them for a couple of days."

Ji Wan was the one that answered him. "Oh, you didn't hear? They got together. Wan Dong asked her out last week, and they've been going out ever since. They're too busy going on dates to hang with us." He made a pouty face.

I froze and looked up at SeungHyun's face to see his reaction. For a split second, I saw a trace of pain in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a straight face, that wasn't happy or sad. "Oh." His voice cracked, but it was so quiet that only I heard it. "That's nice."

For the rest of the walk, SeungHyun stayed quiet while the rest of us chatted. I couldn't help but look up at his face from time to time, but he had a poker face on, and I just couldn't read him.

At one point, we approached an intersection and had to split up. We all said our goodbyes to each other. Ji Wan and Jung Hyo headed left, towards their homes, while Ri Young headed right and SeungHyun and I continued heading straight.

After one block, I decided to talk to him.

"Are you alright?" I quietly asked SeungHyun. I continued looking straight ahead, not at him.

My question was answered by silence. I looked at the pavement below us while we walked on. A few steps later, I saw a drop of water mark the sidewalk to my left. My first thought was that it was raining, but when I looked up at SeungHyun, I was told otherwise.

To my surprise, there was a tear on SeungHyun's right cheek. I could tell he was still trying to hold it in. He continued to look straight ahead, in a deep breath in order to hold back a flood of tears. I stopped walking, but he just continued without me.

"You don't have to hold back in front of me. Let it all out." I called out to him in a concerned, gentle voice.

He finally stopped and turned around. Looking at me, with a sharp intake of breath, he silently let it all out.

Looking at him standing there, crying, my eyes started to water too, but, in order for him not to see me cry, I walked towards him and pulled him into a hug. As I did, I could tell that he was really letting all his pain out now. He had liked her for so long, but he finally knew that it was over. So, for what felt like hours, we stood there, embracing each other. Him, crying for his unreturned feelings, and me, for his pain.