“Oh my God!” Ah Reum yelled. She was running towards Eunbyul who had just arrived, gaining attention from the other students. “What to do? What to do? Oh my god!!” She kept yelling like a crazy girl.

“Oh your god what, huh? What the hell is happening here, Kim Ah Reum? Why are you sprinting like that?” Eunbyul asked, sitting herself down the chair.

Baekhyun was there reading his new book. At first, he didn’t want to pay an attention but Ah Reum’s voice kept on disturbing him so he just closed his book and observing the two girls without asking anything.

“I forgot my homework. I in’ forgot my English homework, Jung Eunbyul. How to do? Tell me, how to do? Mr. Han sure will be mad at me if I didn’t finish it now.” Ah Reum said in panic, she was starting to cry.

“I’m not going to help you again, Ah Reum. It is not like the first time you did it, okay? You have done it so many times already and I kept on defending you, you think you will be safe after this? No. You’re risking my grades.” Eunbyul said in firm tone.

She actually wanted to help her best friend yet she didn’t want to help her in a wrong way. It was enough for her to save Ah Reum when she forgot doing her homework, and this time, she wasn’t going to be her fairy god-mother.

“Jung Eunbyul, are you serious? This-this best friend of yours is going to be facing her death soon and you just stay calm?” Ah Reum let out a sob but her best friend remained stoic.

“It’s not like that, Ah Reum. If I continued saving you every time you forget doing your homework, you’ll be used to it. And I don’t want to see you being that kind of person, understand?”

“I-I can help you.” Baekhyun said from the other side. “Of-of course if you don’t mind.” Ah Reum’s eyes widened in surprise, she ran towards Baekhyun and nodded several times.

“Yes! Pretty yes!”

“No, Byun Baekhyun. You aren’t going to help her.” Eunbyul sighed, “Just please, Ah Reum, do it yourself.”

“I just want Baekhyun to tutor me, you know that I’m really bad at English, don’t you?”

Eunbyul bit her lower lip, she was mad at her best friend yet couldn’t stay watching her crying. She looked at Baekhyun and the latter just blinked like he knew nothing. The long haired girl knew that Baekhyun just wanted to help her friend because he felt bad, but she didn’t like the idea of him blinking his eyes cutely like some kind of lost puppy. She just hated it.

It had been a month since Baekhyun transferred to her school, and they have become friends officially since two weeks ago. Baekhyun was a smart student, and Eunbyul wasn’t bad either. The only big difference is she came from a wealthy family, meanwhile the nerdy guy was only an average. His father worked as a butcher, and her mom stayed at home. That was because he was close with Eunbyul and Ah Reum so he didn’t receive anymore bully and he could particularly live in peace, thanks to both of them.

“Alright, do whatever you want. Make sure next time you won’t forget your homework or I’ll stop befriending you.” Eunbyul said with a smile plastered on her face, causing two cute dimples to appear and it somehow made Baekhyun’s heart skipped a beat.

“Roger, mom!” Ah Reum replied cheerfully and the three of them shared beautiful laughter, as the autumn had passed, and the cold winter days approached.

***

Eunbyul didn’t have a nightmare last night, and she haven’t had a thought about Baekhyun dating her own best friend. But she was slapped by reality when Yoon Hee, one of her friends, informed her that Ah Reum was currently dating Baekhyun.

And she saw it herself.

“Eunbyul? Why-why are you here?” Ah Reum asked. Her voice sounded trembling and her body was shaking.

“Am I not allowed to attend this reunion, Kim Ah Reum?”

“No, no. Of course, no. I mean, you pretty well are allowed. But,” She managed to find the proper words but her lips kept shaking. She was really shocked because of her appearance.

“I’m sorry.” Eunbyul interrupted. “I’m sorry, Ah Reum.”

Don’t cry, Eunbyul. Just don’t.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, showed no emotion. He kept calm as if nothing happened, but his eyes were darting right to the woman he used to love the most. He didn’t know whether he should be mad at her, hug her, or slap her right in the face, because he knew he couldn’t. But seeing her after seven years brought him the bitter memories he’d been trying to erase, and when he was almost done erasing them bit by bit, she appeared.

He missed her like crazy.

“Jung Eunbyul.” Baekhyun called, there was a pregnant silence after that. All the people around them were quiet, expecting what would be happening next.

Don’t call my name, Baekhyun. Just don’t.

Eunbyul couldn’t stay standing in front of the man that now was known as the boyfriend of her very bestfriend, so instead of answering the call, she made an excuse to escape from the crowd.

“I’m sorry, I gotta go.”

“WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING? ARE YOU TRYING TO RUN AGAIN HUH, JUNG EUNBYUL? AREN’T YOU TIRED?”

Everyone was looking at Baekhyun with eyes widened in horror. All of them seemed to be disctracted with the voice coming from his mouth despite the MCs were already taking their parts on the stage. And Eunbyul halted in her tracks.

She was expecting the moment she met Baekhyun, it would be the moment where she could finally tell him that she’d been missing him so badly, that she’d been keeping it for seven years for the sake of themselves. But, all the expectations turned out to be something she least expected.

Eunbyul turned around to face Baekhyun. She couldn’t cry, she shouldn’t.

“Yes, Baekhyun. I’m tired.” She said in a firm tone, trying to sound normal. “I’m tired of running, I’m tired of hiding like a coward, I’m tired of everything. Aren’t you happy now? You don’t have to answer because it definitely is a yes. I-” she paused to breathe, “I just don’t have a confidence to face you yet, you know? And it wasn’t because of you dating Ah Reum, I’m definitely okay with that.”

No, I’m totally not okay.

“Eunbyul, I can explain.” Ah Reum interrupted. “I wasn’t doing this on—”

“No, you don’t need to explain everything. It’s not your fault and you are free to date a person you love. You like him, right? You have liked him even before I did, right? I knew it Ah Reum, I knew it but I chose to stay quiet and let Baekhyun choose me instead. I was selfish, wasn’t I ? Now that you are already with him, I realize that I really don’t deserve him.”

“Jung Eunbyul.”

“I’m ashamed of myself. I kept hiding and refused to face the reality. I’m worse than you’ve ever expected, and a single apology wouldn’t make anything better.”

***

“Don’t you think Baekhyun is quite handsome, Eunbyul?” Ah Reum whispered. They were enjoying their lunch at cafetaria, while Baekhyun was stilll on the queue to buy some orange juices. Eunbyul looked at the latter who was struggling with three bottles in his hands and narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah, if only he doesn’t wear those ugly spectacles.” Eunbyul answered, swallowing her kimbap.

Ah Reum grinned like a kid, “That’s what I’ve been thinking all the times. I saw him once putting his glasses down when he was tired of reading, and... you know what? He kind of has a pretty face with a pair of cute eyes.”

“You like him?” Eunbyul asked, still busy with her kimbap when suddenly Baekhyun appeared with three bottles of orange juice.

“Who?” He joined, pulling out the chair.

“Oh my God you scared the hell out of me, Byun Baekhyun.” Ah Reum startled, she looked really shocked with his sudden appearance and it made he bestfriend burst in laughter.

“Who’s that guy? Do I know him?” Baekhyun asked, opening his own juice and gave the rests to the girls.

“Nothing. Just a stranger I met few months ago. It’s not important, anyway.” Ah Reum answered, looking at the window only to hide her blushing cheeks.

“Liar.”

***

“How’s the party?” Eunbyul’s grandmother asked once she got home. Her grandmother