“Did you receive my email last night? I’ve sent my part of the assignment and I’ve attached some files that I think could be useful for the rest of our research,” YeonHee looked at ChaeRin who had most of her attention on her food. She briefly nodded to acknowledge what YeonHee had said.

YeonHee sighed. “Does that mean you received it? Or you forgot to check your email and will do so later?”

ChaeRin swallowed what she had chewed and told her, “I received it and read through it. It’s good.”

“Yah, did you skip your breakfast or what? You’re eating like you haven’t eaten in days.”

ChaeRin paused, looked at YeonHee and her untouched lunch. “And I see that you’re not eating at all?”

YeonHee pursed her lips. “I’m not hungry.”

“Then why did you buy the food?”

YeonHee’s eyes darted towards one corner of the café where she purposely caught eyes with Shim Changmin. “I’m not sure. Maybe someone forced me to.”

The expression on ChaeRin’s face becomes puzzled. “Who?” She followed YeonHee’s line of vision and saw Changmin at its end. “Shim?”

“Who?” YeonHee pretended to ask again. This, turned the puzzled ChaeRin into a curious one.

“Come on, YeonHee. You two should stop this game and just admit it. Most of the students here are already aware that the rumours between and Jaejoong are not true. It’s only a matter of time before you or him decides to show your affections to one another publicly.”

“Not being with one guy doesn’t mean that I’m being with another,” YeonHee tried to deny.

“Oh, please…” ChaeRin sighed. “If you still want to keep it outside the radar, then think about his fan-girls. There, that might change your mind,” she pointed her chin towards Changmin’s direction, where a tall and beautiful girl was seen exchanging dialogues with him.

“Why would that change my mind?” YeonHee asked her back after a few moments of staring silently. Her eyes were already glued to the both of them without herself noticing.

“I don’t know,” ChaeRin mumbled. “Feelings?”

And true enough, the insides of YeonHee was already boiling. She didn’t care so much about the girl, but seeing Changmin actually smiling and laughing with that girl pierced something from within her. Changmin always hated it when his so-called admirers cross the line. He would usually decline and move away. But why is he returning the gesture now?

YeonHee fought the desire to run to the girl and slap her across the face.

“You could burn holes with that stare, YeonHee-sshi,” ChaeRin then whispered towards her.

“I’m not staring,” she denied the obvious. But ChaeRin wasn’t buying any of it anymore.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to admit that you’re Changmin’s girl. But can you at least make it clear to my ears that you have nothing at all to do with Kim Jaejoong emotionally?”

“I have nothing At ALL to do with Kim Jaejoong emotionally,” YeonHee told her monotonously. Her eyes were still glued on Changmin and the girl.

“Look into my eyes when you say that.”

YeonHee sighed and unwillingly turned to look into ChaeRin’s eyes. “He was my childhood friend. We met again after ten years. There’s nothing else to it. He’s not my boyfriend, and I don’t have feelings for him. End of story.”

Then a hearty laugh erupted from that particular corner of the café.

“I need to go.”

“YeonHee,” ChaeRin called before she could stand up. “You can trust him. Changmin, I mean. He’s a good guy.”

YeonHee looked at ChaeRin as if she had just spoken a different language. Just a few feet away, Changmin was having fun with another girl, and ChaeRin is telling her that Changmin is a good guy? The two facts just don’t synch together!

“I’ll be at the library,” YeonHee told her and simpl