Jonghyun stared wide eyed at the concrete ground in front of him, his hand reaching out to nothing, and his mind buzzing with vibrating chaos.

"Fffffff...." Jonghyun finally let his hands fall, or more, scratch his face in frustration. The curse that almost tumbled out of his lips decided to somersault backwards as Jonghyun accidently felt Ji Eun's pen bulging out of his pocket like a big huge reminder that he screwed up.

No, technically, he didn't screw up. He did exactly what Ji Eun had told him to.

Jonghyun bit his lips in anxiety, fingers gripping the pen tightly. If it wasn't a pen, but rather a pencil, it could have split into two with such force and emotions Jonghyun was sending it.

"Okay... Okay... Deep breath..." Jonghyun forced himself to calm down, pressing down the huge amount of disappointment and sadness that engulfed his heart. If he really thought about it, he knew himself that it wasn't his mistake that was making him so upset. He knew that if he had made a mistake, he'd always find a way to fix it due to his acting abilities, abilities to lie or cover up to be exact, and also due to Ji Eun's amazing manipulating power.

The blob of a monster called Disappointment just wouldn't let itself go unnoticed. Every time Jonghyun tried to force it down, it just bounced back up like rubber or like a water balloon that just wouldn't pop. It taunted him and oozed its way out of Jonghyun's fragile heart in love, stretching its back all over his shoulder and weighing down his chest with its small size.

Jonghyun tried not to think about it, but the more he tried not to, it seemed like Disappointment was now being stubborn and wouldn't leave for a long, long, time.

So that's why he ran.

He ran with the pen in his hands into the exact opposite direction of his home, the bus stop, and Taeyeon sunbae.

He needed to tell someone and there was only one person he could trust with himself.

His love consultant opened the door as soon as she heard urgent knocks on her door, the angry sound repeating itself throughout the room, disrupting any and all peace and quietness.

"Who in the-"

She couldn't finish her sentence as Jonghyun, despite all his emotions, gently grabbed her shoulders that curved nicely in his hands and moved her out of the doorway. Ji Eun's annoyed and confused expression wiped off when she realized Jonghyun was in no mood for any lecture, her hands moving from the doorknob to his hands in an attempt to calm him down.

"You've got to listen to me." Jonghyun spat, knowing that he would regret his choice of tone later, but he ignored it all and dropped down onto the hard chair, leaving his backpack and coat on.

Ji Eun looked at him calmly and Jonghyun met her eyes with an expectation of her analyzing eyes, thinking that she would be trying to figure out why he was like this and how she could solve the problem logically. However, when Jonghyun's eyes only saw a calm demeanor, just a friend who was waiting for Jonghyun's outburst, he looked away. He silently apologized for the rant that Ji Eun would have to listen to for the next few minutes, but he shut his eyes and started speaking.

Ji Eun leaned against the door as he talked, her eyes fixed on Jonghyun's slumped figure.

"You know, I thought that everything was going good. Just maybe, maybe after all this time of an unrequited love that she would feel something for me. Just anything! Was it wrong for me to feel hope for her smiles? Her little laughs? The way she tried to cover when she found something funny?" Jonghyun's hands slithered to his knees, gripping them tightly, his feelings plundering out of his mouth in front of a person he considered a friend for not even a full month.

"I looked at her the way you told me to. I did everything you said to do."

He looked up and quickly looked down when he saw Ji Eun's figure facing him.

He didn't even know what she liked aside from books. He didn't know what types of food she liked, what types of experiences she's had, or really, what type of person she really was. What was she like when she was not putting on that cold, stone attitude?

Other than sarcastic and wise?

There was nothing that Jonghyun knew about her, and truthfully she didn't really know him either.

Yet, here he was. Saying things he'd swear he'd never say in front of Onew or Key.

"I said... I said your name."

"..."

"I said your name when I told her I had a crush. It was a stupid mistake. I was panicking, and it happened."

Jonghyun waited for anything. Maybe even silence was what he was waiting for. But the way Ji Eun held the air in her hands like she wanted to say something prompted him to wait even longer for it.

"...Th...” Ji Eun hesitated, wondering if what she was going to say was appropriate.

"What?" Jonghyun said, his tone a bit too snappy and irritated for someone who needed her.

Ji Eun shifted the weight on her legs and moved her eyes from Jonghyun's backpack to his eyes.

"Thank you."

Even Disappointment stumbled at the sudden phrase, blinking in confusion.

Jonghyun's grip only got tighter. Granted, he felt very guilty for making the mistake, even more than ever, but Ji Eun made him feel like it was okay to complain. That it was okay for a man to be sensitive and in this moment, Jonghyun wasn't acting.

The remaining chains on his lips fizzled with no resistance, Disappointment running about, screaming for attention and Jonghyun spilled.

"Could you believe it? There wasn't even a falter in her response. She just smiled that stupid freaking smile and she just went on to get on the bus stop." Jonghyun said, "No trip in her step, no disappointment, no nothing. She smiled and said that she would. Just like that the bus pulled away and I was there with some other people who were sitting at the bus stop laughing at this dude's random confession for a girl that wasn't actually the girl he liked, but no one knows that and the girl that he really likes is probably thinking up ways to set me and you up-"

He took a deep breath, tongue fumbling with his persistent babble.

"And, and- Just- I thought I was doing well, and here she is showing me the complete opposite. She's helping me get another girl, which is funny because that same girl is helping me get her!"

Jonghyun let out a laugh out of absurdity, leaning against his backpack and throwing his head onto the chair's headrest, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Irony." He finished.

Ji Eun paused before pushing off the door and walking to the tea leaves, clicking off the hot water and pouring the freshly brewed chamomile tea. The cups clinked together, the sound triggering Disappointment to slither back into Jonghyun's pocket. Ji Eun quietly and slowly removed the tea bags and the aroma that filled the room cause Jonghyun's little monster to melt, now out of fuse.

"Well, aren't you lucky?" Ji Eun said softly after some time, bringing the two cups and placing them onto the table. "You're just in time for tea."

Jonghyun let out a harsh snort, pulling himself up from the uncomfortable position.

"Chamomile." Ji Eun said, "It relieves stress."

Jonghyun hummed in minimal response and lazily held the cup in his hands, the warmness radiating into his fingers, calming him.

"Have you calmed down?" Ji Eun raised her brows after sipping carefully, causing Jonghyun to look up with an irritated glance.

"That is one of the top things you should not say to an angry person. It doesn't matter if they've calmed down, it makes them feel stupid." Jonghyun retorted, shifting the cup's position, bringing it to his mouth.

"I know." Ji Eun slowly blinked, "You are being stupid."

"I was thinking you were a really nice person when you were listening to me but I take it back now."

"You need to really think about why you're so upset."

"Were you not listening?"

"Of course I was. Were you?"

Jonghyun peered at Ji Eun, sipping his tea with as much anger as he could.

"You need to establish more trust in me." Ji Eun's cup made a muted clink against the table as she set it down and leaned back into her chair, her posture straight and somehow it made her seem more reliable.

"I do trust you." Jonghyun scoffed.

"No you don't. Either that or you wish for miracles."

"Well gee Miss Love Consultant you are making me feel so much bett-"

"If you really think that Taeyeon sunbae will fall for you in less than a month then you're being too wishful. There's a reason why I'm telling you not to do specific things. I don't think you still realize that there are certain triggers that require certain steps and a specific chronological order for them to actually make that feeling called love come into place."

Jonghyun couldn't help but agreeing, but his childish stubbornness ordered him to silently sip the tea even though it was too hot and he could barely taste anything.

"And I don't know if you've noticed, but Taeyeon sunbae is also very good at acting." Ji Eun said, all sipping coming to a halt, "I don't know what yet, but I'll figure it out later. If you really looked at her the way I told you to, you'd have realized that her actions have a small delay to them. Especially when she's making a choice."

"Hey now I know that I've said she's got a stupid smile but I was meaning cute stupid not hateful stupid."

Ji Eun rolled her eyes, "I'm not saying it's bad. I'm saying that she's just not being herself. It's the same for you and me. You act in front of her to seem like the cool and suave playboy you aren't. Whether that be because she likes you or hates you I don't know yet."

Jonghyun resumed to angry sipping, just because Ji Eun seemed right.

"Well Miss Smarty Pants, I assume the next thing you'll say is how stupid I am cause I got you involved into your battle plan and ruined all your future ideas-"

"No. You did a good job." Ji Eun took a breath, bringing her cup to her lips, "You had a better approach, even if it was an adlib."

Jonghyun's ears perked, eyes widening at the compliment.

"'Scuze me did you say I had a better approach? A better idea than yours?" Jonghyun's angry slowly disappeared like morning fog.

"Don't milk it." Ji Eun scoffed, a smile resting softly on the edges of her lips.

Jonghyun sighed, his emotions finally churning calm from anger.

"This way I'll be able to see what you do more clearly and coach you on the spot." Ji Eun explained, her shoulders releasing from tension at the state of Jonghyun.

"Hm." Jonghyun rose the cup a bit higher, the chamomile tea leaves swishing at the bottom.

"We'll start on the new plan from tomorrow." Ji Eun announced, Jonghyun's eyes shifting from the leaves to her.

"Great." Jonghyun mumbled, still unable to shake off his disappointment.

"Don't worry." Ji Eun smiled, "I'll guarantee you'll be able to get your love."

Jonghyun snorted, and though his demeanor didn’t show it very well, the two could almost hear the weight lifting off his chest at her confidence.

"How do you muster all that arrogance in that small body."

Jonghyun fumbled with the pen in his pockets and stretched it out. Ji Eun lifted her shoulders, responding to the insult-like compliment with blunt pride, and took the pen in her hand as if it had transformed into a wand.

"I'm the Love Consultant."

Thank you so much to shawol_girl who has upvoted the story!

I hope everyone enjoys the story so far and have a nice day :)