Aira stood against her apartment door after Seungho left, her heart was beating so fast. She just told him the whole story about her life. What's gotten into me?

She felt her knees went weak and she slumped down to the floor, but instead of being scared of having her heart exposed she felt relieved. Everything she kept to herself for a long time has been pulled out of her chest and for once in a long time, she felt fine. Gathering up her strength, she got up and motioned herself to the veranda. She pushed the glass door to the side and felt the cold air welcomed her as she took her steps closer to the railings just in time as Seungho's car drove away below her. 

"Friend.." She muttered. Was he being serious? Aira didn't know. What she knew is that he would be back tomorrow, he always did.

She shivered as the autumn's night breeze blew at her hair and she decided to go back inside. After threwing her coat to the corner of her room and changed to more comfortable clothes, she went into the kitchen. Her hand stopped in mid air when she was just about to take the cold soju from inside her fridge.

No, I want to keep sober. I want to make sure that it wasn't a dream.. 

Instead, she turned around and opened the cabinet to find something else. She smiled as she saw a new jar of chocolate powder Seungho bought a few days earlier along with other food ingredients and snacks. 

Does he think it's his house or something? He always stocks up things..

She took it out and made herself a cup of hot chocolate. Out of habit, she walked inside her living room and the television. A late night home-shopping program greeted her by the time the screen flickered on. While she half-listened to whatever the host were saying about the new kind of knife that could be used to cut everything, her mind traveled back to things that happened today.

She met new people. Ones who didn't just greeted her half-heartedly and then pretend like she didn't exist. They treated her nicely and with respect. And on top of that, they called her their friend.

"It won't hurt to have friends, Aira.." She assured herself, "They are nice people."

Without even realizing it, her mind was filled with the one who brought it all into her life. She was petrified when Seungho blew up in anger in the car earlier. She knew the guy must have soon be frustrated to deal with her any longer, but she never expected him to confront her that way. 

I freaking broke down in front of him, how could I face him again?

She sighed and turned her head to her side, where her phone that she put on the couch beside her just beeped, telling her that she got a new message. She frowned because no one ever had contacted her this late. The phone beeped again when the second message came in just seconds later. She took her phone and slided the screen to open the messages.

Have a good sleep, call me if you need anything okay?

It was from a number she didn't recognize and she opened the next message.

Ah, it's me, Seungho. Save my number. Good night, Aira :)

Reading the name, she smiled weakly and realized. She's stuck with him now..

♦ ♦ ♦

Seungho found Byunghee still awake when he came back at 2 pm. Tossing his coat somewhere into the living room, he threw himself besides Byunghee who was watching a late night program. He rest his back to the comfortable material of their couch and closed his eyes, feeling totally wiped from the incident earlier.

"How come you're just back at this time? Does she live far?" Byunghee asked.

"No, I spent some time talking with her, not realizing it was this late." 

"So, how was she?"

"What do you mean?" He opened his eyes and met Byunghee's.

"You said you spent time talking with her, I figure you're already talk about, you know.. the topic." Byunghee lower down the television volume, "So, did you?"

"Actually, yes. I managed to get her to talk." 

"What did she tell you?"

"I'm sorry.. I don't think I have the right to say anything, it's her story to tell.." Seungho looked at his friend apologetically. Byunghee sighed but then he nodded understandingly.

"Well, okay. I think I can live not knowing.."

"One thing for sure, though. I think she's depressed. Many of our friends in the bussiness went through it so I could notice the signs in her the moment I saw her. She has no one, I want to be the one to help her." Seungho said, mumbling the last part. Seungho grabbed the TV controller from Byunghee and began switching channels to find any interesting late night programs.

Byunghee glanced at his friend, who had been missing out night practices to meet Aira, and just now showed an affection in his tone when he talked about her. Byunghee moved closer to him and grabbed the remote control again, so that now he got Seungho's full attention.

"Seungho, do you have feelings for her?"

"Who?" Seungho asked absent-mindedly as he tried to get back the controller.

"Aira-ssi."

"Why do you ask?"

"It's just.. I understand why you stayed that day and took care of her. But, you've been doing it for weeks now. There's gotta be something more, people don't just stay with any random people they met for weeks without any reason." Byunghee laid out his thought. He saw Seungho fell silent and sighed, giving up in avoiding the topic.

"Honestly, I don't know." He finally answered.

"How come you don't know?"

"I care about her, but I guess it's just that. Now that I know her story, I somehow feel obliged to protect her."

"If what you're saying is true, that she's depressed, why don't you just find a professional help or something? Why do you have to do it on your own?"

"Why can't I? And what professionals? Like a shrink? I don't know, maybe I will talk to her about it, but she's fine now.." Seungho said defensively.

"That's because you're around, don't you think so?" Byunghee kept cornering him. 

"Well, if that's the case, I'll make sure to be around her as long as she needs me."

"You do like her, Seungho, admit it."

Seungho didn't answer for a little while. His mind wondered to days and days he spent with Aira. The image of her was playing in his mind, how Aira would stay quiet for hours and only talk when there's something important, how Aira would always listened to his story and somehow relieved his stress caused by work, how Aira would walked to the kitchen from time to time and made him a cup of coffee when he looked tired, and how he felt almost like home whenever he was with her eventhough she said nothing all day long.

She might not be the prettiest girl he ever met, but in his eyes no one else was as beautiful as her.

He could see in his mind the image of Aira on her veranda, staring at the sky with her beautiful yet sad pair of eyes, attracting Seungho to just stare at them trying to drown himself in whatever she's feeling behind those eyes. He also remembered how he would feel butterflies on his stomach at rare moments when Aira smiled and her eyes suddenly turned bright.

Seungho realized that she had somehow become someone important in his life.

He sighed, "Yeah, I guess, but that doesn't matter, does it?"

"Actually, it does. What if she likes you? It would hurt her if you take care of her just out of pity or a sense of obligation."

"Aigoo...how come you know girls so well, Byunghee."

"Of course I do, I got three noonas, remember?" He raised one of his eyebrows, making Seungho laughed.

"Hahaha you're right."

"Well, then let's go to bed lover-boy, we have to wake up early tomorrow." Byunghee turned off the television and got up from the couch, he walked toward his room but turned to Seungho again, "Seungho, if there's anything we could help, just ask. She's our friend too now.."

"Got that." Seungho nodded thankfully.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled down his contacts list, staring at Aira's number which he finally got from her. He tapped the phone with his thumb, deciding whether or not to text her or whether she would be asleep already or not. "Byunghee, you stupid, now you make me nervous even to text her.."