“Tsk. It’s not very normal for the Kim Junmyeon to trip and fall on the ground.”

Eunbyeol smiled her usual smile – wide and honest as she offered her hand to her best friend of six years. As she helped her stand up, she readily handed him her handkerchief so he can wipe the dirt and specks of blood in his palms.

With a grateful smile, he took it. “Thanks,” he muttered.

The girl chuckled, her hands crossing across her chest. “So what’s wrong?”

Junmyeon looked at her, his eyes reflecting surprise. Even after a long time, it never fails to amuse him how the girl can easily read him like an open book. It’s like she can get through his mind with just one look - scary, for some; but comforting, especially for a rather withdrawn person that he is.

Normally, he would just tell the truth right away – confess if he did anything wrong to anyone – because he knows she will never judge him. He had proven that many times since they first met during middle school. In fact, it’s this kind of character that convinced him that someone like him can make actually make friends with someone like her, that they would actually click together.

And they actually did.

Eunbyeol has become his counterpart in a different world. She has always been his female version, despite the opposite characteristics. While he is timid and precise, the girl had always been loud and energetic; but their polar differences can’t stop the two from being friends. That never stopped him from being comfortable with her.

That’s why when he has a problem, whether in school or in family, he would just walk two blocks from his home and find that daughter of an ordinary store owner in the neighborhood, Cho Eunbyeol. Because always, she has answers to his questions.

Just like that very moment.

But how can he easily explain his latest concern when even he knows so well that this time, the girl doesn’t have the answer?

How can he tell her that this time, she is the answer?

...

“KIM JUNMYEON!”

Eunbyeol shouted at the top of her lungs, surprising even the passers-by. Her best friend was staring right through her, apparently lost in his own thoughts, and he wouldn’t bulge no matter what she does. It was the last option, though she knew the boy doesn’t like it.

But whatever, at least, it worked.

“W-why?” He asked, dazed.

“This seems terrible,” Eunbyeol muttered to herself, referring to the kind of situation she presumed Junmyeon must be in. It’s the first time she saw him baffled. He was never like that. Her best friend has always been composed, despite the issues in his life. Never had she seen a blank Suho like that.

Suho, it’s the nickname she secretly has for her best friend – a name she wouldn’t divulge, otherwise she wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Without thinking twice, he grabbed his hand. “I know just where to go,” she assured, sounding excited.

The boy, trusting that she knows what she’s doing just let himself be dragged. The way was familiar, extremely familiar that he couldn’t help but bite back a smile. She still remembers, he thought to himself.

When they stopped, Eunbyeol let go of his hand and ran to the center of a clearing in a quite secluded park in the neighborhood. “Jajan!!!” She shouted, spreading her arms wide as if presenting everything to him.

The smile he was trying to hide was out. They haven’t been there for quite a while. The last time they went there was before he decided to live in the dormitories of Gyeonggi Science High School. As his academics and student government responsibilities took its toll, he thought it best to move there. Whenever he’ll come back home and then meet Eunbyeol, they would just stay in nearby cafes or at her house because he always had to go back to school immediately. 

Grinning from ear to ear, he looked around noticed that not much has changed in the place. The moss-covered walls still create that charming atmosphere as it complements the soft bed of Bermuda grass under their feet. Trees surrounded them though it left an open space above their heads, big enough to see the entrancing blue sky.

It was like their secret garden, a place they share with no one else but themselves only.

...

“So,” Eunbyeol caught Junmyeon’s attention once again as she sprawled her body on the grass like how they used to ever since they were little kids. “What’s your problem?”

Junmyeon heaved a deep sigh. “I’m getting married,” he mumbled.

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise as she frantically got up to sit. “REALLY?” He nodded.

As immediate as it came, the sense of excitement faltered as the girl saw the confusion in her best friend’s eyes. She looked at him, but he refused to meet her gaze as he sat next to her. Instantly, she knew there was a bigger problem they need to talk about.

“You knew all along that this is going to happen. Although so soon, but you’ve been fine with the idea,” she stated in matter-of-factly tone. They’ve been talking about it a lot before since Junmyeon came from a rather wealthy family. “Why do you seem depressed?”

Once again, a sigh escaped his lips as he stared at the ground. “I just never thought it would come up to this,” he said. “It actually took me by surprise.”

Soft chuckles rang clear. Taken aback, Junmyeon gave her an are-you-kidding-me look. “I’m serious!” He snarled.

The annoyed tone in the man’s voice didn’t faze the girl though. Eunbyeol continued chuckling. “I know you are!” She retorted between her chortles. “The thing is it’s very rare to see you getting worked up over something, even things like this. You’ve always been so calculated. You move by the number. And then something you’ve always prepared yourself for came up and you’re agitated,” she pointed out.

“If you know what’s happening, you will be as worried as I am,” Junmyeon stated.

Suddenly, silence ensued. Apparently, Eunbyeol felt the seriousness behind her best friend’s statements. “What do you mean?”

The man ran his fingers through his soft locks, his eyes shut tight as if hesitating whether he should actually tell her about it. But alas, he decided he should. He opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the girl who’s beginning to get nervous.

“I need to get married,” he muttered as he stared deep into her eyes. “And it has to be with you.”