“Honestly, Changmin. Tell me, please...”

Changmin stared at her pleading face before setting a mug of hot chocolate down in front of her on the counter. He took a seat on the stool next to her and looked down at his own cup of tea. He didn’t want to give any bad impressions of Jaejoong to YeonHee. But this has been the hundredth time that YeonHee had asked him. Maybe it’s time for him to tell her the truth, about what happened to them when she left ten years ago. He would have to let her know sooner or later anyway. He inhaled.

“When you left,” Changmin began, “Jaejoong started to change. I thought that it was because he was missing you. It was only later that I realised, he was actually changing back to his real self. All those while, he had been pretending when he became friends with us.”

YeonHee’s brows frowned. “What do you mean? Why would he pretend?”

“It was the same reason why thousands of people out there would dare to kill. He wanted your family’s wealth.”

She chuckled darkly. “You’re kidding, right? Why would he do something like that when he himself came from a very wealthy family?”

Changmin turned and looked at her with shadowed eyes. “Exactly what I thought… It just shows that human can never be satisfied. But it’s up to you, YeonHee, whether you would believe me or not.”

She became silent for a while, taking her time to think things over. “How did you know that he was pretending?”

“After years of training with your father, I was able to read him and his foul intentions. But almost immediately after that, he took off to another country. It was like he knew that I was going to go after him.”

YeonHee nodded at his words. “So that is why the two of you were never on good terms when we meet, or when we don’t meet?”

“Yes, pretty much.”

“If he is a threat, why didn’t you let my father know about him?”

He took a sip of his tea. “That’s the problem. Jaejoong is too smart for his own good. And since I went against your father’s orders the other day, I could look no different than Jaejoong in your father’s eyes right now. He doesn’t even brief me on his extensive planning for you anymore. He has lost his trust in me, I think.”

She stared at her mug of hot chocolate while digesting all the information.

“This is off-topic, but can I ask you something?” Changmin suddenly said, cutting her thoughts short. “Do you really have no feelings for him? For Jaejoong, I mean.”

Her face became heated as soon as he asked the question.  Slowly, he shook her head to the sides. “He’s very attractive, but it wasn’t enough to attract me. Why?”

“Then, do you really have hopes for us to be together?” Changmin boldly asked, making YeonHee’s face burn even redder.

“Changmin, why are you asking these questions all of a sudden? What gives you such ideas?” she tried to divert his attention. All the while, her heart just wouldn’t stop racing!

“Well, for once, you’ve kissed me out of nowhere. And to add to that, all the girls were talking about it along the hallways recently. I figured it would be easier to ask you myself.”

It was a feeling that she had never felt before. There was an enormous anticipation going on in her mind, and her heart seemed to be pumping abnormally. At a moment, it was fast, and at certain intervals, it would stop just like that. She was nervous beyond anything, maybe because this might be the turning point where she would finally become someone more special to Changmin than just his best friend. The thought itself sent shivers down her spine.

“YeonHee,” Changmin called her name when she was silent for to