Kyung's POV

Two weeks ago, after hearing Karen's confession, I tried distracting Jiho. I swear I tried.

Unfortunately, Jiho was quick witted and thought I was acting suspicious within one day.

"What's wrong with you?" Jiho asked, eyeing my suspiciously. "Why can't I walk there? Why do I have to walk that side?"

"Just listen to me, your Highness," I said coolly but he never dropped it. 

It didn't help that we coincidentally came across Suho that day and Jiho cornered him.

Even before Jiho laid a finger on him, Suho blurted, "It was all an act! I'm serious! I'm not her boyfriend!"

"Ha!" Jiho said, looking at me. "See, Kyung? I knew they weren't real!"

I just shrugged. Why bother continue with that lie?

"But you freaking gave her a love bite..." Jiho said, turning back to him. He took him by his collar, pushing him up the wall. "If you EVER--"

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Suho the cowardly cat shouted, frantic. "I won't! I swear!"

"Get out of here," I yelled, barging in between him and Jiho before he could say more. He took flight faster than you can shout 'Go!'.

"He pisses me off," Jiho muttered. "You should have let me scared him."

"Let's go," I said, trying to hurry Jiho out of the area. Seeing Suho, I was afraid that Karen would walk around here seeing as they were classmates. 

Jiho stood firm. "I don't want to leave," he stated so I tried pushing him. "What do you think you're doing??"

"Just - please!" I shouted, exasperated.

"What's wrong with you?"

And I told him everything. Because he was my best friend. What I was doing was all for him.

"She likes me?" he said, genuinely smiling. Then it quickly turned into a proud smirk. "I knew that."

"Look, Jiho, this is why you shouldn't be with her," I said, frustrated. "You're too - ugh, I just don't think you should pursue her. Seriously. Listen to me. I'm against this. She's a nice girl and you're not a nice boy! You've got a good heart but... it's just not nice enough for her."

"You think I'm not good enough for her?" he asked finally, disappointment clear in his voice. "Do you really think that?"

"I want you to know you're the bestest friend I can have," I said, avoiding the real question. 

"Whatever."

He might had shown disapproval about the whole thing but he didn't fight it. Obviously, he was not sure that he wanted to hurt her either.

Some days I would catch him watching Karen sadly from afar because avoiding her 100% is impossible. When that happened, he would wait for her to pass and I could see the rueful expression that flashed on his face. Momentary but I saw it.

He was the one always texting Karen through my phone. It started with Karen asking if it was safe to go to the cafeteria to eat.

"New girlfriend?" Jiho teased as I was texting.

"No..." my voice faltered. He took my phone without hesitation and saw the name. He was quiet but then started to reply to her in my place.

Since then, I set a specific message tone for Karen's texts so he could reply to those when it came.

He would even initiate texting, asking her for her timetable or telling her extra information that was probably unnecessary for her to know in the first place.

We're going to this club. Stay away.

We're eating out here. Keep your distance.

I wondered maybe that he wished that instead of staying away, Karen would actually come to the places he mentioned? All the texts between me and Karen was actually Jiho and her. 

He would stay near the window waiting for her to leave school. He would probably watch her arrive in the morning too but he preferred sleeping in and being late to class. Being early for school was against his image, he always argued. 

Observing his behaviour towards Karen, I felt a twinge of guilt. Could it possibly be that I made the wrong judgement? What if he would be the most amazing guy for Karen? The thoughts crossed my mind. 

That one time, when Karen actually asked how Jiho was doing, I had never seen him so happy. He read the text over and over again, smiling to himself and then frowning at the reality of it. He did not even return my phone for a few days but I begged it off him in the end.

I read the reply he gave and the guilt was even stronger. 

Unaffected.

She would not know how affected he was.

Back to the moment at the coffee shop, Jiho looked unperturbed and even teased Yukwon and Karen, but he never made eye contact between them.

"Are you guys dating?" Jihoon pushed repeatedly. Both of them stayed quiet, looking at each other.

"They're not!" Minhyuk said, defending Yukwon. 

"Yeah," Yukwon emphasized.

"Nuna, say something!" Jihoon said.

"I don't care what you guys think," Karen replied, surprising everyone. "If you think we're dating, then so be it. We were just talking anyway."

Jihoon whistled and kept congratulating Yukwon for his catch despite Yukwon's repeated denial that they were dating. 

"They're not dating," Jiho muttered to Jihoon, annoyed. "Yukwon wouldn't like her."

Karen looked taken aback by this. 

Karen's POV

What did Jiho know? I somehow felt challenged to be against him whatever side he was on. I did not know why.

"We could be," I told Jiho but he didn't look at me. "Who knows. He could like me, can't you, Yukwon?"

Yukwon just stayed still.

"I do know," Jiho said, leaning against his chair. "You're in love with someone else, aren't you?" His piercing gaze made me freeze.

"Aren't you?" he pressed, but this time it was gentler. Did he know? ...

"Aren't you dating that Suho guy?" he added, saying Suho's name in disgust. I automatically rubbed the part where he left me a love bite, reminded of the awkward moment. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Let's go," Jiho invited his crew out.

Jiho really did not take another glance back as he left. He hardly looked bothered. He was - as Kyung wrote in his text - unaffected. I guess he did not like me as much as I thought.

Yukwon was apologetic but he left soon after to meet his new girlfriend, who he was just introducing earlier before the boys barged in. 

He was fangirling about the girl who sold the badges. She treated me coldly previously when I met her but through Yukwon's lenses, I felt her warmth personality. It was unlikely I'd be experiencing her kindness directly from her though. She did not seem to like me.

"I hope your shy girlfriend becomes prepared to reveal herself to your friends," I said, wishing him luck.

"I hope so too," Yukwon said, waving goodbye.