Being best friends with Yonghwa has been the best decision has made in her entire life. There has never been a dull day with him around. They shared everything they had ever since they met in kindergarten. It is a cliché way to fall in love, but Joohyun does it anyways – she fell in love with her own best friend.

Joohyun taps her manicured nails impatiently, contemplating on whether she should kick the vending machine because it would not let go of her desired bag of chips. She steps forward, forehead pressing against the tampered glass, she feels like it is mocking her. She paid 4,000 won for that damn bag, and she wants it now. She glances around, checking for her subordinates before she starts shaking the machine slightly.

In her subordinates’ eyes, she is a well-behaved employee; her work is constantly handed in early, if not on time on her CEO’s desk before it is given to their clients. Not to mention her fantastic speaking skills which secures the deal even before their clients knew it. However, Joohyun is a scary lady when she does not get her food on time.

She kicks the glass, begging for the bag of chips to fall but it stayed status quo. She huffs, pushing herself back up. “You win this round!” She tells it, starting to walk away then she heard her junior employee yelling “Free chips!” just as she is about to turn at the corner, Joohyun curses her rotten luck.

From: Yonghwa [SENT: 1431 HOURS]

dinner on me

To: Yonghwa [SENT: 1432 HOURS]

lol why

From: Yonghwa [SENT: 1432 HOURS]

I hv smtg to tell you

Joohyun’s heart skips a beat; she takes a deep breath to calm herself down. She is one to never imagine her life as a Disney movie – a damsel in distress waiting to be saved by a prince. However, Yonghwa proved to be different from the rest of the guys.

At a young age, she was taught that boys were icky! Cooties – as they would believe when they were fresh and naïve. However, she had no other choice but to ask the closest boy to her for a color pencil because she lost hers. She held her breath, choosing to poke the sleeping boy with a pencil as she did not want to get cooties from him. ‘It would kill you’, her mother would tell her. Ah, the innocent times she missed.

The boy stirred from his sleep, looking everywhere with a confused gaze, he eventually looked over to Joohyun and she swore she saw a halo covering him. She shook her head, remembering the reason why she disturbed the sleeping boy. “Can I borrow your color pencils?” She timidly asked, her pencil pointed to the new pack in front of them.

He placed his little fingers on it, tapping it with his index finger. “I will lend them to you, on one condition.”

“What is it?”

The boy flashed a blinding smile. “Be my friend.”

They were official best friends on by the twentieth day, not that Joohyun was counting.

They went to the same school, they joined the same classes, and of course, the same extra-curricular activities. They were type of best friends which others placed bets on them, whether they would date by the end of the school term, but they stayed as best friends, causing an uproar in their batch.

“So, for this week-”

Thud.

 “Yoona, can you-“

Thud.

“Jung Yonghwa.” She wheeled around, fingers running through her long brunette hair as her best friend continued to throw another paper ball into the trashcan.

Yonghwa cocked his head to the side, on eyebrow raised with a paper ball in his hand waiting to be thrown.

“I swear if you throw that paper ball, I wil-“

Thud.

Yoona poked Sooyoung’s side as the elder shoved 20,000 won into Yoona’s waiting hands. “I told you she will pounce on him.” She proudly stated, ignoring the chaos happening in front of their eyes.

Joohyun dragged a hand down her face when Yonghwa started blabbering in front of her desk after breaking another priceless vase in their school. She contemplated on murdering Yonghwa, cutting his body into twenty pieces and scattering them around the school compound, but she was too tired to even lift up her finger.

“So, I punched his face.”

Maybe it was worth a try. She lifted her laptop in the air to knock him out unconscious, only to be interrupted by Minhyuk. “I’ll make sure he does not get in trouble.” He flashed a reassuring smile as he dragged Yonghwa out of the student body council office.

The times where they thought would never cease to end, eventually did.

Both of them separated for the first time, each venturing out their own interests attempting to gain experience at various companies.

Yonghwa spend his time drawing sketches after sketches, attempting to get a confirmation from his boss who happens only agree once in a blue moon, not that he is complaining anyways. He earns more than enough to get through the day.

Joohyun spends hours typing away at a computer, taking a sip from her cup of coffee from time to time to stay awake. She has always chosen the safer route, never taking a risk in case she fails. She hates failing.

To: Yonghwa [SENT: 1430 HOURS]

ok i end at 7

From: Yonghwa [SENT: 1430 HOURS]

ill pick you up

Joohyun puts her phone down, wondering if Yonghwa is feeling himself because he is never one to pick someone up. Her pulse rate betrayed her thoughts when she says that she is not anticipating anything because she is.

She has never dated anyone even though she received confessions on a weekly basis. She received bouquets from interested employers from other companies, promising her a generous starting pay if she were to join them, but she turned all of them down because she is only interested in one person: Yonghwa.

Perhaps it is the way he smiles, or maybe the fact that she harboured feelings for him ever since they joined elementary school. It is up to the point where she will feel empty if she does not receive a call from the elder, even if it is just to say goodnight. Despite her feelings towards him, she never dared to say anything lest it might ruin their long-time relationship. She does not even drink when they are out together at night because she might confess to him whilst drunk.

Joohyun’s face flushes red when she rereads their conversation the previous night. Yonghwa has been behaving weirdly around her. He keeps mentioning that they are at the perfect age to get married to which Joohyun denied saying that she is two years younger than him. He replied, ‘Age doesn’t matter in love.’ Joohyun promptly ended the conversation by saying that she has to start working on a proposal or she will stain her reputation of being the best employee.

“What are you smiling at?” Yoona whispers, making Joohyun jump in her seat. Yoona plops her arms on Joohyun’s work desk, peering at Joohyun’s phone which Joohyun instantly pressed the ‘lock’ button.  

“Yonghwa asked me out to dinner.” She tells Yoona to which Yoona shoots her a look that says ‘so? You guys always do that.’ Joohyun eventually unlocks her phone, shoving her phone in Yoona’s face.

“Is he going to confess to you?” Yoona asks excitedly, jumping around as stares came in their direction. Joohyun bowed, apologising profusely to her other colleagues, pulling a jumping Yoona to the pantry where it is empty since there is practically nothing. The company should really spend some money to get them several coffee sticks. ‘Stingy peasants’, Joohyun hissed whenever she walked past her CEO’s office.

Joohyun shrugs, opening the cabinets despite knowing that they will be empty. “Maybe he is going to?”

“He is totally going to!” She yells, passing her phone back. “You have to dress to the nines tonight!”

Joohyun is sceptical; however her heart is fluttering just at the thought of it.

Joohyun applies for early leave.

“Wow.” Joohyun exclaims as Yonghwa escorts her into the restaurant with her arm around his.

Yonghwa smiles, patting her hand as he gives his name to the waiter in the tailcoat.

Joohyun could not help, but to be nervous because it is true. Judging by the money Yonghwa spent just reserving this restaurant for the both of them meant a lot. Yonghwa has always been the frugal one between them. Joohyun even handed her bank account to him so he would sort it out for her. Neither of them is complaining because that is what best friends would do for each other. Especially since Joohyun had always bent the rules for Yonghwa back in school.

Yonghwa smiles, glancing at Joohyun between every bite of his steak as if he is waiting for the right time to say something. Joohyun places her silverware down, signalling for Yonghwa to do the same. “What is it?” She questions, feeling uneasy at Yonghwa’s obvious fidgeting.

He grins at her, holding his left hand up as his right hand dives into his pocket, fishing out a small box – a ring box. Wait, what is happening? Joohyun’s head spins as Yonghwa stands up with the ring box in hand. He is going to confess to her, she repeats in her head like it is a chant to calm her down.

He kneels down, facing Joohyun as he opens the box open; a shiny red diamond greets her. “Do you think she will like it?”

“Huh?” Joohyun stares blankly at Yonghwa.

“Hold the box; I have to tie my shoelaces.” He tells her as she feels like her entire world collapsed in front of her eyes.

He gets up; grabbing the box back from Joohyun’s shaking hands and puts it in front of her eyes again. “Will she like it?”

Joohyun fakes a cough, biting back her tears as she nods. “Of course, but who are we talking about?”

Yonghwa goes back to his seat, shoving the box back into his coat pocket. “Didn’t I tell you that I was dating Sooyoung?”

Joohyun shakes her head furiously. Sooyoung? Why does her name sound so familiar? “Who is she?”

Yonghwa scoffs, twirling his wine glass. “She was in Yoona’s class. She was part of your student body council.”

Then it all clicks why Yonghwa would suddenly drop their conversation, saying he had something important to deal with. “How?”

Yonghwa grins, “We work for the same company. We were working on a project together one thing, and we started talking. One thing led to another.” He drifts off, hoping Joohyun will get the hint.

She does.

To: Yonghwa [SENT: 0421 HOURS]

Congratulations on your wedding! Sorry I couldn’t be there. I promise to return soon with a gift to make it up to you.

Joohyun shoves her phone in her jean’s pocket, holding her one-way ticket to London.