Seoul was just like I had imagined.

Tall buildings that touched the sky, streets crowded with people, and beautiful scenery and city lights - it was everything I had pictured in my mind. It was beautiful. I had always grown up in a small town, and almost everyone seemed to know about me and my screwed up life. However, in Seoul, you could blend in perfectly with the crowd of people. It was perfect, almost too good to be true.

"So, I called one of my cousin's friends, and I managed to get us both a job at his cafe. Since we are almost out of money, I figured that we should start saving together so we could rent out an apartment together." Jongup said with a smile as he carefully drove through the crowded streets. I let out a squeal of excitement and reached over to hold one of Jongup's hands. I couldn't believe that we were actually doing this, though I held no regrets. I figured that it would be better this way. Our lives would be so much easier without people holding us back and treating us like dirt.

I couldn't seem to hold in my excitement, even when Jongup and I had arrived at our hotel room. I was jumping around on the bed like a maniac, because I couldn't wait to start living the life that I dreamed. And since I was starting it with my best friend, it made me feel more better, more safe, more loved.

Jongup chuckled as he laid down on the bed, grabbing my arm to pull me down so I could lie next to him. I laid my head on his chest and lightly traced patterns on his stomach while listening to his heart beat. It was slightly steady, sometimes going at a faster pace. It felt nice to listen to it pounding through my ears. Jongup's fingers lightly my hair, and it felt nice while listening to his heart. I nearly fell asleep like that.

"Are you hurt?"

His voice brought me back, and I was confused by his question.

"Your father hit you that time and you got hurt. I haven't gotten the chance to ask because everything had been out of control."

I loved how he still cared about what happened, even if I had already gotten over it. Truthfully, I had given up on my father and was willing to erase him from my life, if that was what it took to be happy. Though, the fact that Jongup cared made me feel warm all over. 

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. You got hurt even worse than I did." I haven't forgotten that he had been pushed down the stairs and has been walking awkwardly for a while. Jongup rolled his eyes and decided to flex his muscles.

"I'm strong as a bull."

I lightly hit his stomach and rolled my eyes. "Even the strongest creatures get hurt too." There was only so much that a human can take. No matter how strong you claim to be, there is always a hidden weakness inside. Jongup was definitely a fighter. There wasn't much things that would make him angry or upset, since he always accepted reality with a smile. However, his family was his weakness, and he was afraid of his father. His father abused him harshly, and his mother always let the man do so. 

Jongup suddenly sat up and held my hands, a bright smile on his face. "I want to show you something." He began to lead me out of the room and down the hall. I silently followed, trying to keep up with his quick pace. His hand felt extra warm and soft at that moment. I didn't want to let go. 

Soon, after we finished climbing up a bunch of stairs, Jongup suddenly opened a door and a blast of wind hit my face. It was dark and the wind kept making my hair hit my face. Jongup suddenly covered my eyes with one hand and his free hand slid down to my waist. I felt the skin burning where his hand lingered. His breath was against my ear and neck, and I had to prevent myself from flinching. Slowly, he began to guide me onto the roof, whispering directions in my ear.

"Open your eyes." Jongup whispered as his hand uncovered my eyes. In the next moment, all I saw was lights and beauty. I gawked at the scene before me and held on tightly onto the cold railing. There were so many lights below us, glistening in the dark sky. It was like millions of stars descended from the sky. It was a beautiful sight that I wouldn't forget.

Jongup's hands were still around my waist as he pressed himself against my back, trapping me against the railing. His hot breath tickled my neck as he rested his head against my shoulder to gaze at the scenery. I blinked in surprise at the closeness, and I hoped that he wouldn't feel the heat radiating off of my face. Suddenly, I wasn't occupied with the scenery, but instead I was occupied trying to calm my beating heart. We ended up staying like that for a while. No words were exchanged as we just gazed at Seoul from above. It was quiet and peaceful, though I was sure that Jongup could've heard my heart.

After we returned to our room, Jongup and I snuggled underneath the covers to get some sleep. Honestly, I was worried about work tomorrow, but since Jongup would be beside me, I figured that it wouldn't be that bad.

Morning came by fast, and I was proven wrong.

The job in general wasn't bad at all. It was pretty simple actually - just take people's orders and serve them. Our boss, also known as Himchan, is one of the kindest and funniest I've met. We walked into his office and he greeted us like we were old friends. He really made us feel welcome along with some of the other employees, and it warmed my heart. I only wished that my father had been like that, even if it had only been just once. Well anyway, the job itself wasn't bad. Jongup had actually been the problem, more or less.

A group of girls had walked into the cafe at one point, and boy, those girls could've turned heads. They seriously looked like models or movie stars. And guess what they did? They walked right up to my best friend and just stole him. Jongup had been chatting with the girls everytime he walked past their table. I felt like I was forgotten, and I didn't like it. There was something welling up inside of me, a feeling that I didn't like. It made me have the urge to walk up to Jongup and snatch him away. I didn't want anybody to steal the only person that I ever had.

"Are you alright?" 

Jongup finally came over to me at one point, finding me sitting at the counter sulking. Those were the first words that he had exchanged to me during our shift, which started like what, four hours ago? I have never gone at least two hours without talking to him. 

"Yeah, I'm a bit tired." I lied, gulping down a glass of water. My eyes narrowed when I heard those girls call Jongup again, and I had the urge to tell them to order something or leave. Jongup smiled lightly at them and gave my shoulder a small pat.

"I'll be right back."

But he never did come back.

Our shift went by, slow and uneventful, and I was both relieved and excited for tomorrow. Thankfully, Jongup could stay away from those girls now, that is, if they don't come back tomorrow again. Jongup laced his fingers with mine and cast a small smile. 

"How was your first day?"

"Fine." I lied. Truthfully, it would've been better if I hadn't felt so... strange watching Jongup interact like that with those girls. Seriously, there's lots of other guys around!

Jongup seemed to buy my little lie as he shrugged it off, relieved with my answer. I, on the other hand, held insecurities in my head. What if he chose them over me? What if I'm boring to him now? I've never really felt like this until now. What the hell?

That night, while Jongup was taking a shower, I decided to go out to the rooftop and get some fresh air. The insecurities were swarming in my head, and I hated it. Obviously, Jongup is my best friend and he'd never leave me. The necklace he gave to me is proof enough, but why did I still hold doubts in my head?

"I thought you ran away."

I jumped at the sound of Jongup's voice. I hadn't sensed his presence. His hair was still dripping wet, and he wasn't even wearing a shirt. Instead, he held it in his hands, and his pants were unbuckled and loosed. Uh oh. He was panting as he silently approached me, and I could see the hint of concern in his eyes. I couldn't pay attention to it, because I was trying so hard to not look at Jongup's toned chest.

"Um, why don't you cover yourself up first?"

He didn't seem to be ashamed that he was half-, and simply tossed his shirt over his shoulder as he leaned against the railing beside me. He was silent for a moment, but his eyes were on me. "You've been quiet all day. Is something bothering you?" I sighed and lowered my head. Should I tell him?

"Nothing."

"Hana, do you think I'm stupid?"

His stern voice made me lower my head in shame. Of course, Jongup knows me too well. He can read my eyes and immediately know that something is wrong. I sighed again and began to fiddle around with my fingers. 

"Well, you just seemed to be so happy with those girls today. I just felt like I was... you know." I murmured, unsure if Jongup had even heard me. I did expect him to, but what I wasn't expecting was for him to burst out laughing. I gawked at him, unsure if I was even hearing right.

"Hana, are you jealous?" Jongup grinned as he leaned in close, our noses almost touching. His eyes held mischief in them. The air suddenly got hot.

"No way! I was just concerned that you'd end up tossing me away since I was boring." I leaned back and averted my gaze to the Seoul lights. Jealous? Please. Jongup chuckled and ruffled my hair. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled my closer to him. I leaned my head against his broad shoulder. He smelled amazing.

"Hana, there's no way that I could ever replace you. You know me." He leaned in close again and pressed his lips against my ear. "Just between you and me, I wasn't interested in them at all. And I surely didn't want to talk to them, but I couldn't just say no since it's our first day." My ears grew hot at both his hot breath hitting my ear and of embarrassment. Of course, I should've thought that.

Jongup rolled his eyes as he suddenly threw his shirt on my head. He shook his head as my eyes shot him a questioning look, since it was windy and he was both shirtless and wet. He didn't seem to care since he just pushed his shirt down onto my body. Though he hadn't worn it yet tonight, it felt warm and held his scent. It made me feel warm.

He sank down to the floor and patted his lap. I raised a brow at him, but he just ended up grabbing my arm and made me sit on his lap (straddling him). I gulped at the sudden action and my heart threatened to stop when Jongup placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. Normal actions were like this between us, but the lap thing was new. 

"Thanks for getting jealous. You do care about me."

"I was not jealous!"

"Hana, I'm not stupid."

"You are!"

Sometimes I wonder why I was born with such a big mouth. Sometimes it did me a favor, like whenever I had to defend myself against my dad. Other times, it did the opposite effect for me. Sometimes I wish that I could just shut up and take what's thrown at me. Because in the next moment, Jongup slammed me to the ground and shifted his body on top of mine. My legs were still on either side of his hips, and our lower bodies were dangerously close together. I also didn't miss the spark of mischief that left his eyes.

My heart nearly did stop then. We've never been in this position before, because it seemed quite intimate and could lead to-

"I said no." Jongup grinned, his hand slipping under my shirt. His fingers left a trail of electricity as they ran across my stomach. He began to tickle my sides, and I bit my lip to suppress my laughter. He tickled me harshly, as a way to torture me, and I was laughing so hard that I was squirming. When he felt that I had enough, he finally got off of me.

"So, you don't like those girls?"

"No way. I like you way more than anyone else."

Though he meant it in a friendly way, my heart started doing backflips at his words. They usually made me happy, but this time, I was beyond it. I snuggled up to him and laid my head on his bare chest. Even his skin felt so soft.

That night, Jongup did end up getting sick. He was already sneezing a lot and his body felt warmer than before. I felt guilty, because I had left him without warning and he had to come out half- and wet to look for me. He even gave me his shirt and I willingly took it. When he caught my guilty expression, he lightly hit my back (though it still hurt), and told me that he was fine. He told me that I should be more concerned about myself instead of him.

I realized that Jongup had always made sacrifices for me. He always went out of his way to do things for me, whether it would be giving me a gift from to running away to escape our harsh lives. It showed me that he truly did care for me, and here I was, holding doubts about him. I was being so unfair and selfish to him, and I felt guilty again. From now on, I'll work harder to support my best friend who stood by my side all of these years.

"Thanks for being jealous."

My ears lit up. "I was not!"

"Remind me to do it more often."

"Stop it!"

But deep down, I knew that he was happy, because he actually cared.

And that made me happy too.