Yongguk had a habit of doing the opposites. He watched or read something gloomy when he was happy. On the reverse, he would have something funny or cheery when his mood was ruined.

“It helps you to be objective on judging something.” He had told her.

So, one day when he started to read books about falling out love and joined her to watch the weekly doses of melodrama, Jieun was sure that he was falling in love.

And it was not a coincidence, she thought, he talked about Sunhwa often those days.

He had been her best friend since forever. They lived in the same neighborhood when they were younger, went to the same school and kept their friendship up till this time, when they were already in the last year of college. Sunhwa was a pretty and lively girl who had befriended her since their second semester in the university.

She should be happy if they were to be together.

In fact, she was not.

It felt like someone had just stabbed her right at the heart after she made her deduction about Yongguk liking Sunhwa. She kept recalling her name that he brought up in between their conversation.

How’s Sunhwa doing?

I heard she will participate in the yearly sport competition?

Isn’t Sunhwa-

Tears escaped her eyes as she questioned her self for being so.

And a realization hit her. She was in love with him. She had loved him all this time, not as a childhood best friend Bang Yongguk, but as a man.

She remembered being naggy over the girls that approached him in the past. But he never really dated someone before because he was too engrossed in the music he dearly worshipped. Was it the reason why she didn’t realize her feeling for him? Because there was no occasion that made her think of losing him?

When they met the next day, Jieun couldn’t bring herself to face him properly. She started being conscious of his existence, their close proximity and the faster beating heart of hers.

He noticed it and asked if something was bothering her.

She just shook her head and silently sighed.

Yongguk knew her too well to take in the lie she just gave.

He was sure that she had things going on in the small head of her but decided to leave it to rest for now.

“Ssong Cheun Cheun, should we go karaoke-ing? We can ask Sunhwa to come too. Ah, let me call Daehyun also. The more people the more exciting it will be, am I right?”

He had said it in the hope of cheering her up, without realizing that it made her frown in disappointment.

It was always only the two of them, usually. Since when did he like hanging out with much people?

Better tell me that you only want to see Sunhwa.

Though she didn’t have the mood to go, she also didn’t have the heart to let go of his hand that holding on to her tightly. So, she tagged along.

He stayed beside her through the singing session. Yet it didn’t help her feeling better, since Sunhwa came and they talked in cheerful manner that pinched her pain.

That night―he brought her back to her apartment, pat her on the head, telling her to get better and jokingly said he had spent money just to bring her mood up―was the last time he could see her.

Jieun started to avoid him. She kept making excuse whenever he wanted to meet her. She didn’t answer his calls and her reply to his message became short and shorter until it finally stopped. He went to her apartment, rang the bell hundreds of time, and waited for hours. He still couldn’t see her.

She even went to the extent of changing her door key password that she had shared with him before so he could come over whenever he wanted.

Yongguk was frustrated.

He was too used of Jieun being around and the situation made him feel like someone had just cut his supply of oxygen.

He skipped his own classes and waited for her in front of her classroom, but she somehow always managed to escape.

At first, he didn’t want other people to know about what was happening to them. But he couldn’t handle it anymore. So, he asked for Sunhwa’s help to talk to her.

The result was: Jieun avoided Sunhwa too afterward.

Yongguk really couldn’t understand it. His Jieun was never that kind of person. She never hid anything from him, especially when it was about him. They did fight from time to time in the past as their friendship grew, but it would only lasted for a few hours―the worst one lasted for exactly five days―then they would come clear to each other.

It was a dead end for him. Not yet.

There was still one more way for him to meet her.

On Wednesday, around midnight, the time he was sure of her being home, Yongguk started a ruckus in front of her apartment door. He banged to door, shouted her name really loud until the neighbors were woken up. People stared at him in a weird way and cursed him as some retarded guy with no mind and manner.

He couldn’t care enough. She was inside and awake, and it just a matter of time she would open the goddamn door. He was sure of it.

The security office called and told her to open the door if she knew that guy in front of her door. Or if she didn’t, they would take care of it and brought him to the nearest police station as complain from residents kept growing. And just in case, if he really was someone who gave harm to people.

She was contemplating.

It would be easier to let the security dragged him away rather than to meet him in person. She cared too much about him though. She didn’t want anything to happen on him.

Jieun finally opened the door, pushing Yonnguk in without really looking at his face, and bowed low repeatedly apologizing to her neighbors. People grumbled and sighed and then left her back to their own units.

It was just him and her now.

His furious but tired face met her as soon as she turned her self inside. She couldn’t bear looking at him so she put her head down, prepared to hear his words.

When suddenly a pair of arms enveloped her.

“What have you done to me, you fool.”

Jieun was in the verge of crying. To be wrapped around his two arms was the best feeling she felt in the past weeks. And because of that, she quickly pushed him away, afraid of her even growing feeling and expectation.

“Why?” He asked, swallowing the shock from her behavior.

She staggered. “No, Yongguk. You shouldn’t be here.”

Yongguk frowned.

“What do you mean by that?”

There was a long silence. Jieun seemed to lose her ability to speak. She thought if she opened now, she would only talk rubbish, stuttering about him and Sunhwa and things and…her feelings.

Sighing, she walked away while running her hands through the hair.

“Jieun?”

“I mean-it’s midnight. You shouldn’t be here, doing your earlier act especially, around this time. People would think weird-”

She was cut by Yongguk’s loud sarcastic laugh.

“Since when did you care about what people think? I used to come everyday and even spent the nights here before.”

Walking closer to where she was standing, he snatched her hand as he was close enough.

“The problem is not about what people think. The problem is in you. What is it actually, Jieun-ah? Tell me the problem, say it to my face. Don’t lie and stop running away from me!”

He was yelling by the end of his sentence, pulling her really close and holding her hand in the surface of his chest.

There was no way she could hide it any longer if he kept pestering her like that. She would break anytime soon, and she had to shoo him away before it happened.

“Nothing, Yongguk. Nothing. Please just leave me-”

She really didn’t expect the next thing that happened, not even in her wildest dream.

His lips were on hers, kissing roughly, nibbling on her lower lips, biting it to make her yelp and opening for his tongue to explore.

In those seconds of craziness, she was losing her mind and gave up to his venture. She should’ve stopped him, but no, she chose to surrender to her feelings even though there were voices reminding her, that he was her best friend and he loved Sunhwa. They shouldn’t be kissing and groping at each other like that.

“I won’t. I will not leave you, never.” He said the first time they finally were able to let go of each other. His uneven breath was fanning her as he put their forehead together.

He came down to kiss her again, in a gentle manner this time. She still hadn’t recovered from the effect of their heated act earlier.

“Tell me, Jieun-ah, what’s the problem, really.” His voice sounded hoarse in between their kisses. Jieun really lost her mind this time as she weakened and the words just flowed out on its own.

“You…Sunhwa…Hate it.”

He stopped abruptly to meet Jieun’s clouded eyes. “Me, Sunhwa, what?”

Jieun felt like hiding herself some place really faraway. But she had no way to escape now that she had slipped it out of . And with how she easily drowned in Yongguk’s kisses, she was sure he would find way to make her speak.

“I don’t want to come in between you and Sunhwa.” She answered, untangle her body from him. “I was…jealous. It’s better for me to stay away from you before you confess to her and make it official. It would lessen the suspicion rather than if I do it after you two become together.”

The image of Yongguk and Sunhwa together then the feeling that left after their kisses earlier pricked her heart. She shouldn’t let Yongguk do that, she should have stopped and get a hold of her self. He would be the boyfriend of her close friend, or they probably had been together in the time she was not around.

And Yongguk’s reaction didn’t give any help at all. His silence just justified all her thoughts.

She suddenly felt drained and maybe had moved to the nearest coach if just Yongguk didn’t start talking in weird tone.

“Me? Sunhwa? Did you just mean that I have something with Sunhwa?”

Jieun was fed up of beating around the bush. All that she wanted was to finish this conversation fast and buried herself under the blanket.

“Yongguk, please stop playing around. You love her. I know that. Now just please leave me alone.”

One second.

Two second.

Three…

Laughter exploded in the room. Yongguk was bending, holding on his stomach and in the end rolling in her apartment floor.

“What the…”

“Ya, Fool! Stupid Ssong! Me, loving Sunhwa?”

He laughed again and Jieun began to doubt her so called smart-analysis.

“Himchan would kill me even before I can spell the word ‘love’ to Sunhwa. She is pretty, but no, thanks, I already have someone else in my mind.”

If words could really harm physically, then she should have been dead by then.

What’s the difference? Whether it’s Sunhwa or any girl, you still love another person. Not me.

Yongguk sat on the floor waiting for her reaction. But she was just rooting on her spot with a maintained-cold expression.

“Tch.” He sighed. “Your head is really bad, isn’t it? How could you still not grasping it?”

“What?!” She fired back.

He stood up and walked to her. His heart was light.

“I’m gonna tell you.” He took some of her hair and slipped it behind the ear. “I love this one girl-”

“I don’t want-”

“Sshht. You have to.” Yongguk’s eyes were gleaming with hint of happiness. Oh he loved how easy Jieun was to be read at this time.

“So, I love this one girl.” He started over. Jieun cursed inside, hoping that she wouldn’t cry hopelessly later. “But she turned out to be stupid. I still love her though nonetheless. And by how she act all jealous and the way she reacted to my kiss earlier, I’m sure she loves me too.”

Her eyes widen. Heart beating really fast.

She wished she wasn’t being delusional, but d-did he just talk about her?

“I love you, Song ‘jealous’ Jieun.”

“B-but you, Sunhwa?”

“I didn’t even say anything. You are the one who ran away after making a stupid conclusion.”

“But you keep talking about Sunhwa!”

“I was being awkward and had nothing to say so I tried to attract your attention by talking about your friend.” He said, looking all shy and clumsy. “I mean-you know-people do stupid things when they suddenly found that they are in love with their best friend. It’s like-the feeling isn’t the same anymore and-”

That did it. She threw her self at him and they were kissing again.

She was convinced. Now that she had her mind cleared, she could remember Yongguk being different than he used too. Like…oh no, how stupid, how could she couldn’t notice that? He was being much more attentive and all those skin ships.

She kissed him deeper at that thought, hands clutching on his shirt like she would die if they stopped.

“Won’t you say it too?” He said as they stopped.

Jieun was playing stupid. “What?” Or maybe she was just really stupid, because with Yongguk still leaving trail of kisses down her neck, she obviously couldn’t think clearly.

“Alright then, you don’t have to say anything. We can just continue with a love making session. I’m all fine hearing it through your moans.”

She slapped his shoulder and blushed furiously.

One thing Jieun decided, she wouldn’t regret doing that silly running away act, though Yongguk would have so much fun in the future teasing her about that. Because that made them finally crossed the line, of being friends into lovers.

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A/N

I'm not really satisfied with the ending sigh.