“What is it?” I asked, sitting next to him.

“I talked to Baro hyung for a little while at the party. He told me he was going to do his military service.”

“That’s what he told me too.”

“Do you want to spend some time with him before he leaves?”

“Huh?” Had I stepped into the Twilight Zone or something? Maybe my hearing was messed up somehow. Yeah, I’d damaged my hearing from playing my music too loudly. That was the only explanation for what I thought I heard.

“You heard me right,” CAP said. “I asked if you wanted to see hyung again.”

Now I was conflicted. Because the choice was right there on the table, it was that much harder to make. On the one hand, I couldn’t deny that I would love to be around Baro again, but I knew that it also wouldn’t be fair to CAP if I did.

I closed my eyes in thought. Feelings shouldn’t be involved right now. I wasn’t a little girl anymore. If it were just me, I would go running to Baro in a heartbeat; however I had Min Ki to think about.

“I’m not sure if I should,” I finally admitted.

“I think it’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

“I know you still have feelings for him and I know he still really cares about you. If you’re unsure, maybe talking to him will help.”

“What if I decided I wanted to leave you and wait for him?”

“That’s a decision you have to make for yourself,” CAP said. “Honestly, I think we rushed into this a bit. Last weekend…I don’t regret it, but I know it didn’t mean anything. If you really think about it, we’re just going through the motions.”

“Have you been talking to Chunji about this?”

CAP’s eyebrows scrunched up. “A little. Why?”

“He said we might be on the same page about some things. Sounds like he was right.”

“So you’ve been uneasy too?”

“I wouldn’t say uneasy. I just felt a lack of spark between us, you know? Like, when we were younger it was all teasing and fun and ‘make the pain go away’. Now…it’s just not like that anymore.”

“But…?”

“But I don’t know if that’s a reason to split up. That would look bad on both of us if after all the picture drama we just broke up. Min Ki really likes having his dad around. I can tell the difference in his personality. I wouldn’t want to do that to him. Plus, I do like you a lot CAP. You mean so much to me. I’m not sure I could just walk away from what we have for a ‘what if’ with Baro. Fairytales don’t exist.”

“There’s something else I have to tell you.”

“Which is…?”

He looked down at the floor before saying, “I’ve been talking to this girl.”

“Oh.” Why did that make my heart drop a little? “Does she know about Minnie?” and me I added silently.

“Not yet. I wanted to see where you were first. If you were dead set about us then I would break off, but since you’re unsure as well then…”

“You know what? Neither of us has been selfish enough. If you want to see this girl then I wish you luck.”

“You don’t really mean that.”

I didn’t, but how could I deny him a chance at something when he was practically giving me away to Baro? “No, I mean it. You should be happy…but what does that mean for us? What are we going to tell Min Ki and everyone? Your mom is not going to be happy about this.”

He shrugged. “It’s not like I’m going to just disappear from Min Ki’s life. He’s my son and I intend on taking care of him to the best of my abilities. The way I see it, seeing his parents happy is a good example for him to see.”

“Minsoo, you’re a really great guy.”

He chuckled and pulled me in close. “I love you. We may not be meant to be together, but I do love you.”

I leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I love you too.”