“I found you~!” Soo Min sing songed when she spotted Jihoon in the lounge area after returning to his class building. She managed to get Buffy off her tail after Kyung Tak finally stepped in to stop him, she’d have to thank him next time for sure!

 

“I told you to tell me when you’re here!” He frowned at her loud arrival. His classmates only laughed at his reaction. She didn’t notice he was talking to a few other classmates at the moment and paused when they all looked at her.

 

“I just did!” She chuckled before waving at the new faces. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt!”

 

“It’s okay. We were just about to leave.” One of them said to her in a kind voice before he paused. “Wait, you’re Jeonghan’s girlfriend, right?”

 

“Uh… yes.” She nodded and looked worried, was she supposed to know him?

 

“I’m Kihyun, nice to meet you.” He said before turning off to the side and did a victory lunge before he quickly tried to play it off. “I’m a classmate of his, a friend of his… nice to finally meet his girlfriend.” Because he made a bet with Minhyuk on who would get to meet her first.

 

“Ah, I get it.” She chuckled. “Nice to meet his other friends.” She added before she looked to Jihoon. “They’re your friends, too?”

 

“I suppose.” Jihoon shrugged. “We only ever meet and talk on campus.”

 

“Should we feel hurt?” The other classmate said with a pout. Jihoon just snickered in reply. “I’m just playin’, but it’s nice to meet you.” He turned to Soo Min. “I’m Jooheon.”

 

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Soo Min.” She gave them a friendly smile.

 

“Let’s meet again in the future, with your boyfriend, too.” Kihyun said with a mischievous grin before he waved and turned to leave. Jooheon also waved before turning to follow after him and that left both Soo Min and Jihoon alone with each other.  

 

“What was that about?” She asked to Jihoon. He just shrugged before gesturing for her to sit down at the small table with him.

 

“What did you want to talk to me about?” He asked after they sat down.

 

“Well…” she started off in a small voice. “I saw Ren yesterday.” She could tell he tensed up from that name and she worried if he would listen to her now? Last time they talked about it, he had mentioned that he might be angry with Ren.

 

“I see.” He said a moment later. “So?”

 

“So… I didn’t know if you’d like to meet up with him soon?”

 

“No.” Jihoon answered almost immediately, like he knew she was going to ask that and he knew what his answer was going to be.

 

“No?” She was a bit surprised.

 

“No.” He shook his head and averted his eyes to the table.

 

“Bu-”

 

“I know you mean well, but I really don’t want to reconnect with him. He had his chance when he called you that time. He could have asked to meet up after he found out it was me, but he didn’t. So I don’t think our friendship stands anymore after that.”

 

“Jihoon, don’t think like that. He asked about you when I was hanging out with him yesterday.”

 

“You were hanging out with him?” Jihoon looked up at her and she saw what Won Woo warned her about in the car, that look of hurt and betrayal. “You hung out with him despite what I told you, about how I felt?”

 

“What? Wait, I-” she was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say to clear it up, she didn’t know what to say to make him listen, she took too long to say anything and then he stood up and started walking off without another word. “Jihoon, wait!”

 

“Stop. Just leave me alone.” He said in a cold tone and she froze in her spot, like his words were really pieces of ice that silenced her. He was gone when she finally snapped out of it. She really didn’t expect things to turn out that way, she really didn’t.

 

“Soo Min?” She suddenly heard a familiar voice ask and she turned to face them. “What are you doing here?” Seungcheol frowned when he noticed her upset expression. “What happened?”

 

“I pissed Jihoon off.” She said quietly and had her head down. “It’s a long story but… I just thought I could help him reunite with his old friend, but it didn’t work out.”

 

“If you don’t mind, what exactly happened?” He asked after gesturing for them to take a seat. She followed him back to the table and let out a small sigh before she started to explain everything to him.

 

…

 

“Where’s Soo Min?” Jeonghan asked when he made it to the table in the cafe. Classes were over and almost everyone met up today since they were busy with studying and class work yesterday. Everyone seemed to be at the table besides Won Woo, Mingyu, Jisoo, Junhui and Soo Min. Mingyu had told his friends that he was having lunch somewhere else with Won Woo after classes let out.  They didn’t make such a big deal about it, at least. Jisoo had a few errands to run for his trip to L.A and Junhui was meeting with Hyungwon today. So then, where was Soo Min?

 

“I knew someone was missing!” Seungkwan frowned before he looked to Jihoon. He was her other best friend, surely he’d know, right?

 

“She must be stuck in class?” He shrugged and didn’t make eye contact. He seemed to be in a bad mood and the table got quiet. Jeonghan looked to Seungcheol who seemed to look like he knew what was wrong.

 

“I’ll go get her something and take it to the lab.” Jeonghan said before he nudged Seungcheol to follow him. The older quickly got up and followed him. “Can I borrow some money.” He asked with a guilty smile.

 

“Sure.” Seungcheol assured him and pulled out his wallet to get a few bills out. “Is that all?” He asked after handing the money over.

 

“Do you know what’s up?” Jeonghan asked quietly after they got in line. “Between Soo Min and Jihoon? He seems to be in a bad mood and I know Soo Min isn’t stuck in class because she told me there was no lecture today.”

 

“... yeah, it seems like those two got into a misunderstanding.” Seungcheol explained. “She told me about her day with Ren, and how Jihoon was upset about it. Because Ren used to be Jihoon’s best friend back when he lived in Busan. After he moved, he lost contact with Ren, but now that Ren is in Seoul, he feels conflicted because Ren hasn’t tried to contact him yet. Jihoon confided in Soo Min that he was hurt and angry about the situation. So when she told him that she hung out with Ren, he got upset… he probably felt betrayed to hear his current best friend hanging around his old best friend. I mean, I would kind of understand, I would be angry if my old best friend was hanging around my new best friend and didn’t bother to reach out to me after knowing I’m there.”

 

“I would feel angry, too.” Jeonghan frowned. “But if he knew the situation better, I’m sure he wouldn’t have gotten angry.”

“What do you mean?” Seungcheol was curious now. Did Jeonghan know more than he did? Did Soo Min not tell him the full story?

 

“Well, when I saw her last night, she seemed kind of emotional when she told me about her day with Ren. It seemed to be more than just two friends hanging out, she felt like they were bonding as… siblings.”

 

“Siblings?” Seungcheol almost said it too loud.

 

“Yeah. The encounters between them have been really strange and she’s starting to think maybe Ren might be her half brother, because recently she found out that her parents had an affair. But she doesn’t have any information about if a child was born from the affair, so she doesn’t want to assume anything. But they look so alike, it would be hard to believe that they’re not related. They really do look like siblings.”

 

“Oh…” Seungcheol was shocked. “Should you be telling me all of this?”

 

“I’m not sure, but just don’t repeat anything for now. You’re my best friend so of course I was going to tell you about it soon.” Jeonghan realized maybe he shouldn’t be talking about it with other people, because then he was just gossipping, right? And he didn’t want to do that to his girlfriend, but they can trust Seungcheol.

 

“Right. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.” It was now their turn at the counter to order the food. “Don’t worry about paying me back, okay?” Seungcheol patted Jeonghan on the shoulder.

 

“Are you sure?” Jeonghan looked guilty again.

 

“You’re my best friend, of course, don’t think about it.”

 

“Thanks.” Jeonghan managed a small smile before ordering something for Soo Min and himself. He thought he could eat with her this time. Before he completed his order, he got something for Jihoon, too. “C’mon, let’s go.” He said to the younger when he got back to the table.

 

“What?” Jihoon looked up with a slightly confused expression.

 

“Let’s go to the lab.” He said with a smile and beckoned him to follow.

 

“N-”

 

“Go with him, please.” Seungcheol said before Jihoon could really answer. The rest of the table watched in silence until Jihoon sighed and got up to follow Jeonghan.

 

“Is everything okay?” Seokmin asked once the two were gone.

 

“Things will be fine, don’t worry.” Seungcheol assured them with a smile. “So, how was class?” He asked and they started to chat about their schoolwork.

 

...

 

“I’m surprised, I thought we were going to have cheeseburgers again.” Mingyu said while they were sitting in a different kind of restaurant this time. One that particularly served meat.

 

“We don’t always have to do what I want.” Won Woo frowned. “I asked what you were hungry for so here we are.”

 

“Thanks. I’m happy.” Mingyu grinned and Won Woo snickered in a cute way.

 

“Of course you are. I’m happy, too.” He smiled before grabbing his drink to take a sip.

 

When they met up after class, neither of them brought up about what happened in the classroom. Won Woo was kind of glad since he wasn’t sure what they’d even say about it. It was clear that Mingyu already wanted to be affectionate with him after Won Woo confessed, and maybe it really was a struggle for the guy to be patient and wait for things to happen. It kind of made him feel bad for trying to make him wait again. What am I actually waiting for? He thought to himself. Will I just wake up one day and feel differently about it? Am I waiting for a sign again? He started to zone out and Mingyu noticed, but he let him be. He knew he was probably thinking about what happened earlier. How could he not?

 

Mingyu had to admit that he didn’t mean to almost kiss Won Woo like that, but it was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. That feeling just overcame him and he went for it. Won Woo didn’t seem to reject him at all and he started to wonder if Won Woo really just didn’t know what he wanted? Maybe he understood that just a bit, he’d be Won Woo’s first relationship, he probably really didn’t know what was to be expected despite observing his best friend’s relationship. But that’s the thing, all relationships are different, especially Soo Min’s and Jeonghan’s. They’re a straight couple. Won Woo and Mingyu would not be a straight couple. But then again, there’s the fact that Soo Min isn’t the cliché girlfriend, maybe their relationship would be a lot like a same couple. It’s still different, though. He reminded himself.

 

Mingyu also wondered what Won Woo would be like once he was more comfortable with him? Would he be like his best friend, spontaneously dominant in the relationship? He was honestly looking forward to that if it was the case. But then again, he wouldn't mind if Won Woo was shy and quiet. Because he liked Won Woo for Won Woo.

 

The meat finally arrived to their table and Mingyu happily started to cook it for them. That's when Won Woo snapped out of it and noticed Mingyu focusing. He thought it was cute. I bet he'd cook for me all the time, wouldn't he? He thought with amusement as he watched the younger do his thing. He started to think of how Mingyu would treat him once they become boyfriends? Was Mingyu going to be clingy? He already is. Was he going to be easily jealous? Maybe at first. Was he going to take really good care of him? Most definitely. Was he going to be his first and last boyfriend?

 

That thought really got to Won Woo. He really hadn't thought about that until now. While other people might go through a few boyfriends and girlfriends, there were also people who found their soulmate on the first try. Could he be one of them? I can't imagine liking anyone else now… those flickering feelings he had when talking to Jisoo last week seemed like nothing now. But that could be from not seeing the guy since then. Would it still be like that when they get on the plane and spend fall break in L.A with the others? I hope not. Because he wanted to be over it. He wanted to be able to look at Mingyu and only Mingyu.

 

The rest of their lunch was spent eating with minimal talk so they could finish before they had to go back to campus for their second class of the day. Mingyu did not plan to pin Won Woo against the wall this time.

 

…

 

“No food in the labs.” Min Ji joked when she saw Jeonghan and Jihoon approaching them at their computer station.

 

“What?” Soo Min asked and pulled out one of her ear buds because the song had just ended at that time when she heard her friend speak. She could see Min Ji was waving at someone and she followed her gaze to see who it was. “Oh!” She didn’t expect to see Jeonghan… and Jihoon.

 

“We brought you food.” Jeonghan said with a sweet smile once he made it to her seat. He bent down a bit so he could give her a quick kiss and they heard Min Ji squeal near them.

 

“No PDA in the labs!” She said seriously this time. Jeonghan just chuckled before apologizing.

 

“Thank you.” Soo Min managed to say before she looked at Jihoon who was avoiding her by completely facing away. If she had to be honest… that pissed her off. At first she felt bad that he was upset, but now he was just being a jerk. If there was one thing she hated, it was when people didn’t giver her a chance to explain herself, and he didn’t give her that chance this morning.

 

“How's your project coming along?” Jeonghan asked to keep a conversation going. He may or may not have seen the expression on her face just now and got worried.

 

“Good.” She simply said before turning back to her laptop screen. “You can leave, Jihoon.” She bluntly said after picking up her pen to draw on her tablet. “You have better things to do. So leave.” There was a moment of silence between all four of them and she could tell both Min Ji and Jeonghan were concerned. When she turned to see if Jihoon left, she could see he had finally faced her but his expression was still unfriendly, like he was also pissed. “Nevermind, I'll leave.” She was done and started to pack up her stuff.

 

“Soo Min? What's wrong?” Min Ji innocently asked before looking to Jeonghan who seemed guilty. It was his idea to drag Jihoon along, maybe it was a bad idea in the end.

 

“It’s nothing. Just suddenly want to go home.” Soo Min was being honest at least. If she went home, then she wouldn’t have to deal with any of this. “Maybe I’ll focus better there. Seems to work for some of us, you know, lock ourselves up in our studio and ignore the world.” They definitely knew those words were about Jihoon, and not in a friendly way.

 

“At least I do my work and have it done on time.” Jihoon said before standing up. Unfriendly words thrown right back.

 

“At least I don’t neglect my friends. I at least try to talk to them, but I guess one in particular doesn’t like to listen because he doesn’t have time for it.” She finished while zipping up her laptop bag and hung it on her shoulder. “Don’t waste your time trying to say anything back, because you don’t have time for that, right? You don’t have time for anything.” And then she started to walk off.

 

She gripped onto the strap of her laptop bag to hid the fact that her hands were shaking. Her heart was racing, she never liked confronting people like that, it always got her nervous and scared, though, today was different. For a while now, she’s wanted to address Jihoon’s lack of friendship but never knew how to bring it up, let alone, knew what to say. Well, she finally said it, she finally said it to his face. You never have time for anything… Music is more important than your friends, right? Then she was gone out of the room.

 

Jihoon was mad. He was angry… he hated how she was speaking to him, especially in front of other people. He thought she would have at least waited to say all of that when no one was around, but then again, he supposed that would have never happened because he would have avoided her. A part of him was hurt and confused, she never spoke to him like that before and without thinking things through, he went after her.

 

“Wait, don’t go after her-” Jeonghan tried to stop him but Jihoon didn’t listen. And by now, the rest of the students in the classroom were staring at them for causing a scene. “I’m sorry.” He bowed at them before sitting back down and faced Min Ji with a stressful sigh. “Maybe we should go after them?” He said quietly.

 

“Maybe, but then again, maybe they’ll talk things out if we don’t get in the way.” She had a point. “I’m sure it will be okay.”

 

“I hope so.” Jeonghan was really worried now. How in the world will they go to L.A like this? Unless Jihoon decides to stay behind… because he doesn’t have time for it.

 

…

 

“Are you going to see Soo Min?” Aron asked when they got into the elevator and Ren pressed the button for the 6th floor, the floor that has the computer lab Soo Min has classes in. He knew Ren didn’t have class today, so he was curious on why they came to this building unless Ren wanted to work on something in the fashion studio or something? Ren also had classes in this building.

 

“Should I not?” Ren frowned.

 

“No, you can!” Aron assured him. “I just thought you were going to work on something in the studio or something.”

 

“Maybe later.” Ren shrugged.

 

“Well, then I’m gonna go get something to eat at the cafe. That gives you two some time to talk alone before I ruin it all with my loud mouth.” Aron said while stopping the elevator doors from closing.

 

“At least you’re admitting you have a loud mouth.” Ren chuckled. “I’ll text you later then.”

 

“Okay, bye darling!” Aron blurted out in a cooing tone. “I’m going to miss you! Do you want me to get you anything while I’m at the cafe?”

 

Ren started to spam the ‘Close Doors’ button while moving to hide in the corner where the other students couldn’t see him. “Shut up, you’re so embarrassing!”

 

“I love you too, dear~! Have a safe trip up!” Aron said as the doors were finally started to close and he started blowing kisses into the elevator. The last image he saw before the doors officially closed was Ren standing there with a glare and his middle finger up. “He’s so sweet~!” Aron laughed before heading off to the cafe on his own.

 

...

 

Soo Min was walking as fast as she could so she could get to the elevators before anyone could catch up to her, she wanted to be alone. The tears started to slow her down because she couldn’t see. She sure didn’t want to run into a wall at this rate. When she stopped, she looked over her shoulder and saw Jihoon had followed after her, just like she expected. It was so cliché she snickered before looking over her shoulder to say something to him. “I’m not sure why you’re following me.” She said bitterly and looked away before a tear could fall. She was really upset now.

 

“... I wasn’t following you. The exit is this way, idiot.” He replied but remained in his spot a few feet away from her.

 

“Then don’t let the idiot get in your way, go.” She gestured for him to pass her but he didn’t budge.

 

“I have to tell the idiot something first.” Jihoon scoffed and she glared at him. “I don’t appreciate what you said back there. You basically made me look like the bad guy.”

 

“Because you are the bad guy!”

 

“No, I’m not! You are!”

 

“How?” She faced quickly to hear what he had to say. At least she would listen.

 

“Ever since the camping trip, we’ve been trying to talk to each other more, right? Wrong, I didn’t find out about your encounters with Ren until a few days ago. I was the last to know. And even when we talked about him, I told you how I felt about the situation, but there you were, hanging out with him like he’s your new best friend. I suppose since I’m always locked up in my studio and never make time for you, you would ditch me for him. And the messed up part is the fact he was my best friend before I met you. Don’t you know how ty that makes me feel? To hear you hanging out with him after I told you how I felt?”

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t do that intentionally.” Soo Min managed to say calmly. “Things just have been really strange lately, and me hanging out with him was so I could ask about you. I was hoping you two could reconnect, despite what you said to me, I felt like your friendship could be revived. I did it for you! I did it because after me and Won Woo you don’t have anyone else who is CLOSER to you. I’m sure Ren was close to you at some point and yeah maybe it’s upsetting how things went but I’m sure there are reasons and he really does seem guilty when we talked about you. But you wouldn’t know any of this because you never gave me the chance to say anything!” She could see the look of shock in Jihoon’s expression just then. “There’s more to it, but you don’t have the time!” She added before turning to leave and that’s when she bumped into someone. She almost lost her balance but the person helped her stand straight by grabbing her by her shoulders to steady her.

 

“Soo Min? What’s wrong?” It was Ren, and he was concerned. She realized why Jihoon must’ve looked shocked now. She took a step back and looked at Jihoon before looking up at Ren and then to the ground to wipe her tears. She didn’t know what to say or what to do. “I’m sorry, is this all because of me?” Ren asked and looked at Jihoon who had a conflicted expression on his face.

 

“Yeah. It is.” Jihoon said a moment later.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it.” Jihoon said bitterly. “Saying sorry after disappearing for 5 years isn’t going to cut it. Saying sorry after walking off the face of the earth without saying anything isn’t going to cut it. Saying sorry after moving to Seoul, the place you know where I was, and befriending my friends before reaching out to me isn’t going to cut it. Saying sorry isn’t going to cut it.” Ren didn’t say anything and he too was now getting upset. “If you’re going to cry just like her, do it after I leave.” Jihoon added before he started to walk past them.

 

“You’re such a jerk.” Soo Min muttered as he was passing and he stopped and looked at her. “I can’t believe you won’t even hear him out.” Jihoon took a step towards her with glare and she instinctively took a step back but was still trying to hold her ground. “If you don’t listen to your friends, you’re not going to have any in the end.”

 

“That’s fine, it’d be much quieter without you around.” Jihoon’s words were ice cold again and Soo Min couldn’t say anything back, but the pain was clear on her face.

 

“Hey!” Ren spoke up and pulled Jihoon back a bit before he stood by Soo Min’s side, seeing her holding back her tears really broke his heart. It felt like… someone was bullying his precious little sister, he had to do something. “I understand if you’re mad at me for how things went between us, but don’t take it out on the friend you made after leaving Busan. I haven’t known her long, but I can tell she really cares the way she talks about you. Don’t lose that kind of friendship over me. I’m sorry for showing up so suddenly and I’m sorry for crossing paths with you when it seems like you didn’t want that.”

 

Jihoon just stood there and with each second that passed, the guilt on his face grew. If he wasn’t feeling ty before, he was now.

 

“You guys talk. I’m going home.” Soo Min said with a small sob and started to walk away, neither of the two could ask her to stay, because it was probably better that they stayed behind and talk this out. Having her around might make it noisier with her crying and sobbing, and besides, it was between them after all. A moment later, she was gone.

 

“Let’s go somewhere more appropriate for this.” Jihoon suggested when more students started to pass them in the hall. Ren was surprised that Jihoon actually wanted to talk, he thought he’d just leave once Soo Min was gone. He remembered Jihoon struggled with talking in the past and he supposed things hadn’t changed much since then. It was kind of sad to Ren. Once they decided where to go, they were off.

 

…

 

“What’s wrong?” Mingyu asked while he and Won Woo were on their way back to the campus after eating. They were listening to music on the drive back, but when Mingyu tried to steal a glance of Won Woo’s focused expression on driving, he noticed the older looked a bit bothered.

 

“I don’t know. I suddenly just feel…” he was trying to explain until they pulled up to a stoplight. “I feel like something is wrong.”

 

“What do you mean? Are you okay? Is the food not agreeing with your stomach?” Mingyu frowned. He hoped it wasn’t anything like that.

 

“No, I’m fine.” Won Woo assured him before he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and handed it to Mingyu since the light turned green. “What is it?” He asked.

 

Mingyu was kind of surprised that Won Woo trusted him with his phone, to be honest, it made him feel special! He probably only let the people closest to him look at his phone. “Uhm.” Mingyu the display to see there was a kakao message from Soo Min, it was a voice note. “It’s Soo Min.”

 

“What does she want?”

 

“It’s a voice note.”

 

“Play it.” There was slight hesitation with Won Woo’s words and clear concern. He thought maybe he should wait until they were back on campus, but he felt like he needed to know what it was, because that awful feeling he had just didn’t seem right.

 

Mingyu wasn’t sure about playing the voice note because he worried if it was something he shouldn’t hear, but when Won Woo told him to play it in a urgent tone, he did.

 

“Where’s the car? I want to go home.” A crying Soo Min said in the recording.

 

So something was wrong.

 

“Damn…” Won Woo muttered, he seemed stressed now. Mingyu was tempted to ask about it, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to distract Won Woo while he was driving. “This morning, before you got in the car… we were talking about Ren.”

 

“Oh…” he expected him to be quiet until they got back to the campus.

 

“And how he and Jihoon used to be best friends back in Busan before Jihoon moved to Seoul. I told her to be careful, because she wanted them to reconnect. I guess it didn’t go well.”

 

“Really?” Mingyu felt bad, even though he didn’t do anything wrong.

 

“I mean… I want them to reconnect, too. Soo Min and I have been friends longer than we have been friends with Jihoon, I thought it’d be nice if Jihoon had someone he was close with like us. Whenever we talk about memories from the past before high school, he’s left out. He gets left out a lot when it comes to stuff between Soo Min and I. If Ren came into the picture, then he’d have someone he can talk with about old memories, and then we’d be left out, though that’s not something you want to feel.” Won Woo gave a sad chuckle at the end. “It seemed like a good idea, and now I feel like maybe I should have been there.”

 

“But that’s the thing, you can’t always be there.” Mingyu said quietly. The car became silent once the truth was spoken. They arrived to the campus and parked in the lot. “Sorry, I know that’s not something to say in a time like this…”

 

“It’s fine. It’s the truth…” Won Woo sighed. “I have to start remembering that.”

 

“Good. But right now, you can be there for her.” Mingyu said with a weak smile. He had already seen Soo Min making her way over to the car. “Take care of her and don’t worry about me. Text me when you can.”

 

“Okay, thanks.” Won Woo managed to give him a small smile before Mingyu got out of the car and held the door open for Soo Min. He was able to tell her some positive words before she got in and he shut the door. It was pointless to ask what was wrong when Won Woo already knew what it could be. She was probably not in a state to talk anyway, so he simply just started the car again and they were on their way home.

 

…

 

“I guess you’ve been doing great seeing as you’re in college pursuing your dream. I’m glad.” Ren said after he and Jihoon picked a table to sit at in the cafe they came to near the college. “I was worried you’d give up on it before you left, but you managed to push yourself, didn’t you?”

 

“No, not really.” Jihoon shook his head. “I really was going to give up on it, but then someone gave me the push I needed.”

 

“And who was that?” Ren asked with an interested expression.

 

“It was Soo Min… my best friend.” He could see Ren’s expression falter just slightly at those words.

 

“Ah, I see.” He said softly. “Soo Min, huh?” He tilted his head, he suddenly felt… jealous. It was a strange feeling, given what’s been going on lately. He wasn’t expecting to have this kind of feeling when Jihoon said that. After meeting Soo Min and finding out that she was friends with Jihoon, he shouldn’t be so surprised, right? Or maybe he just hadn’t expected to hear the word best friend since Soo Min already had a best friend and that was Won Woo. It was a petty thought, as if she was only allowed one best friend.

 

“Her and Won Woo… we met in high school and have been together ever since. Our other friends call us an unbreakable trio, it’s quite silly.”

 

“I see…” again, Jihoon noticed Ren’s expression changing slowly the more he talked about his friends. Then he started to wonder if the guy was getting jealous from hearing about his new friends.

 

Back in Busan, you could say Ren was a little… possessive? They were best friends since the start of middle school. At first it was him being protective since some of the bullies would pick on Jihoon for being short. Ren always handled the bullies for Jihoon and so they were close because of that. After a year of their friendship, Jihoon started to socialize a bit more since the bullies stopped picking on him because of Ren, who happened to be one of the popular kids in the school by then. But once Jihoon started making more friends, Ren got jealous of them when he’d see him hanging out with them more (because these kids were also into music like Jihoon, Ren was just into Lady Gaga) instead of him. He started to feel lonely but never said anything about it because he didn’t want to upset Jihoon or worse, look lame for getting jealous over his harmless friends.

 

He supposed since he was picked on because of his stunning looks when he started middle school, Jihoon was the only one who didn’t join in on the taunting. “You look like a girl! Get a haircut!” Jihoon was the only one he really could talk to and trust in the end. The day Jihoon told him he was moving, he was heartbroken. His one and only best friend was leaving him behind. Of course he knew it wasn’t Jihoon trying to run away but still…

 

When they parted, Jihoon offered to stay in contact but Ren never contacted him because he was just too sad about him leaving. He figured he was never going to leave Busan and Jihoon was never going to come back, so he just let it go. Thinking back on it now, he will agree he was being such a drama queen and irrational and stupid and lame and dramatic, all sorts of negative things. He just made it harder on himself.

 

“You okay?” Jihoon snapped Ren out of his deep thoughts.

 

“Oh…” Ren looked up at him and stared. He wondered if Jihoon ever worried about him after leaving Busan, did he ever think about him… did he forget him? Well of course he didn’t since he still recognized his voice when he called Soo Min’s phone.

 

“I don’t like the way you’re sulking.” Jihoon pouted. “You should stop. I’m not the one who broke contact and fell off the face of the earth for almost five years.”

 

“I’m sorry…” Ren looked away, feeling guilty after that comment. He was hoping it wouldn’t have been brought up again, but he supposed that was a stupid thing to think.

 

“I figured you were too hurt about me leaving, but the least you could have done was just let me know you didn’t want to stay in contact. I thought you died for the longest time! I’d go by your house whenever I went to Busan with Won Woo and Soo Min… it was empty at first but then a different family started living there.” It was clear that Jihoon was upset by the tone in his voice. “So, when I heard you on the voicemail, I was so relieved, yet angry. How can you show up all of a sudden and not even bother to reach out to me after that phone call?”

 

Ren didn’t say anything, his expression was full of guilt and hurt, even his eyes started to water he felt so terrible… he usually can keep the emotions in check, but right now he struggled to do that. He supposed Jihoon was just ignoring those bitter feelings at first, because he was relieved to finally see him after so long. Perhaps going to the lab to see Soo Min today wasn’t a good idea after all.

 

“You go missing for five years and come back, then get jealous over my new friends, I don’t understand? Was I not supposed to make any friends after moving? I wasn’t your property, Ren.”

 

“I know that.” Ren managed to say in a small voice, the tears were threatening to fall now, he didn’t like the harsh tone Jihoon was using with him, either. He was feeling bad enough already and now he was nearly getting yelled at by him… sure he was slightly jealous about his new friends. Were they CLOSER to him than he ever was? Not like it was a competition… just… did Jihoon open up more to them than to him is what he wanted to know since he was always honest and open to Jihoon from the start. It’d hurt to know if he was the only one who was really committed in their friendship back then.

 

“What is it then? Why are you so upset, I’m the one who should be the most upset!”

 

“I feel bad, okay.”

 

“Good.” Hearing the anger in his voice did it. The tears Ren was holding back finally fell and he covered his face to hide. “I’m leaving.” Jihoon suddenly said, it sounded so bitter. “You’re not going sit there and start crying and make me look like the bad guy, again.” Ren’s body wouldn’t move, as if Jihoon’s cold words paralyzed him. He wanted to stop him, he wanted to tell him about what’s been happening and how it conflicted with his decision to reach out to him after the phone call.

 

It seemed like Jihoon hesitated for a moment after he got up to leave the table. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to leave, just like earlier when he couldn’t bring himself to pass Soo Min in the hallway after following after her. He wanted to leave, in both situations, but a part of him said to stay… because he knew they had something to say. Time felt like it was ticking by quickly while he stood there, watching his old friend cry in front of him. It was hard to look at and eventually Jihoon felt a sting in the back of his own eyes when he recalled Soo Min also crying before she left earlier. I made two people cry today, great. He thought bitterly.

 

“... I found out I was adopted shortly after you moved to Seoul.” Ren’s cracking voice snapped him out of it. “I came to Seoul because of college, but then I met your friends and something was strange. I can’t be so sure until I have more evidence, but I don’t think I’m an only child anymore after meeting them.”

 

“What do you mean?” Jihoon managed to ask in a calm voice.

 

“I talked to my mother, my adoptive mother and… she showed me who my adoptive mother is. She also told me the reason I’m adopted and that I have a half brother and a half sister. The story she told me fits your friends so accurately. Soo Min gave my friend Baekho her number to pass on to me because she wanted to talk to me…” At this point, it seemed like Jihoon was going to hear him out and took his seat again. “I was scared and freaking out after what I learned… it took a lot of guts to finally call her, but when I did, I couldn’t speak at all and hung up. That’s when you called back and left a voicemail. I was already feeling a lot at the moment and then that happened and it was just too much.” Jihoon just nodded and didn’t say much, and that was fine since Ren was trying to explain it all. “I really wanted to reach out to you, but you sounded angry on the voicemail, so I waited. I figured we’d get to meet eventually, but I guess that was selfish of me to do. I’m sorry. I was dramatic. I couldn’t handle it, I was upset… I made a stupid mistake, I really thought we were never going to see each other again after you left, so I let it go.”

 

“... I guess I can understand that.” Jihoon felt bad, he felt really bad now. “Ugh, I am such an .” He muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose in stress after listening to Ren explain himself before explaining the encounters with Soo Min and Won Woo.

 

“You kind of are.” Ren couldn’t help but snicker at that, he had calmed down during his talk. Jihoon glared at him, but it wasn’t as intense as before. “But I guess it was to be expected when you didn’t know what was really going on.” To Ren’s surprise, it was easy to talk to Jihoon, like it always had been. He was afraid it would be difficult, he was afraid it wouldn’t go well and he was afraid that he’d run away halfway through, but he didn’t. It was as simple as just explaining everything the best he could without saying anything confusing.

 

There was a short silence between them before Jihoon finally spoke up and apologized. “I’m sorry, Ren. I guess I was too quick to judge. I never understood why you never contacted me after I left. I knew you were upset, but I didn’t expect you to stop talking to me entirely. I was hurt and disappointed. I thought our friendship was stronger than that, but I guess it wasn’t. I had to learn to let it go, and then I met Soo Min and Won Woo. There was something familiar about her but I never thought too much about it. At that point, I think I was trying to get over it and trying to move on. It was difficult… sometimes I was reminded of you when Soo Min would play Lady GaGa’s music in my studio. Whenever I’d eat pasta, I thought of you. I wondered how you were doing, if you were eating well and living well. I just couldn’t help but worry about you from time to time. And when I heard you came to Seoul and you were already meeting with my friends… I felt hurt again and even angry. I thought I would have been the first person you met when you came to Seoul…”

 

“I thought so, too, but Seoul is so big. I thought to myself, Jihoon is so short, how in the world am I going to find him in this big city?”

 

“... and how was I going to find Ren among all the pretty women?” The two pouted at each other before laughing. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay. I forgive you.” Ren gave him a small smile. “Do you forgive me, too?”

 

“Let me think about it.” Jihoon sighed and Ren frowned. “Of course, I forgive you.”

 

“Good. I’m glad.” Finally, they were reconnected now thanks to the help of Soo Min. “Can things go back to the way they used to be?” Ren was worried if this would affect the bond they had before.

 

“We can at least try.” Jihoon nodded. “We both apologized and heard each other out, there should be no more ill feelings, right?”

 

“No.” Ren shook his head. “But you were the one who got hurt the most… it’s really all up to you.”

 

“I’m fine.” Jihoon snickered. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Now that I know what’s going on, I understand.” He said with a small sigh before he thought about what Ren just explained to him moments ago. “So… she’s your sister?” He asked like he couldn’t believe it and like he was screwed because if so, her older brother just witnessed him being so mean to his younger sister.

 

“It’s not confirmed yet, but I have a feeling she is.” Ren frowned. “She told me her parents had an affair, and so it could be possible since I’m adopted, the story my mother told me seems to fit her so well…”

 

“I’m sorry about that.”

 

“About what?”

 

“About treating her like that in front of you.” Jihoon sighed. “You must be angry at me now for that…”

 

“Not going to lie, I kind of am.” Ren chuckled. “It’s like that protective brother side coming out or something. To be honest, I’ve cried a lot recently because of this, it’s just been so stressful. Things just clicked so well while we were together yesterday and it was so emotional and she was so confused because I started crying like a loser, it was kind of cute the way she tried to cheer me up. But I’m not sure if she’s on the same page as me yet. Everything has been happening so fast… I don’t want to blurt things out, because it’d be shocking. I don’t have any proof yet, I wouldn’t want to assume anything without some solid evidence.”

 

“Maybe do a DNA test?” Jihoon suggested and Ren snickered. “You already thought of it?”

 

“My friend Aron is already planning to send his cousin off to L.A to get it done. Said something like we needed the best of the best to do the test.” He could see Jihoon shake his head before face palming. “I know, he’s embarrassing.”

 

“Wait, if his cousin is already being sent off, you already got the samples?”

 

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Her hair got caught in the seat belt yesterday, so there were a few strands that were left behind.”

 

“You’re doing it without telling her?!”

 

“Is that bad?!” Ren was worried now.

 

“Well, I don’t know, I just thought that might be something you’d want to let her know before the results come back.” Jihoon’s expression was cute, he seemed like he was going through a lot of emotions right now that his face couldn’t keep up with them. “You should tell her next time.”

 

“Right.” Ren nodded. “Or… how about I tell her if the results state we are related. If not, never speak of it again.”

 

“That works, too.” Jihoon nodded in agreement. “Wow… did not expect it to turn out like this at all.”

 

“Me either.”

 

“But I’m kind of glad now. I’ve always felt like there was something familiar about her and now that mystery might be solved. I’m glad she tried to reconnect us, even though I was such a jerk about it. I’m gonna have to apologize. I’m gonna have to make up for it now.”

 

“Well… if she’s anything like me, she’ll forgive you.” Ren assured him with a similar smile Jihoon would see on Soo Min’s face and something just hit him. “Don’t cry!”

 

“I’m not!” Jihoon defended and looked away while clearing his throat.

 

“It’s okay.” Ren said sincerely. “It’ll be okay.”

 

“Damn, what the hell. First you cry and then I cry? We don’t cry, what happened?!” Jihoon complained while wiping a tear. He was right, back when they were friends in Busan, they barely cried over anything. They were the type who didn’t cry easily. It had to be something serious for them to cry. It had to be something that was serious, something that mattered to them, something special. And special she was, to the both of them now.

 

To Ren, the younger sister he never knew he had.

 

To Jihoon, the friend who always took care of him.

 

“I heard she likes Choco Pies.” Ren broke the silence. “Get her a bouquet of Choco Pies.”

 

Jihoon looked over at him like he was nuts before he smiled. “You’re a genius.”

---

Chapter thirty-three~

 

Ren and Jihoon are finally reunited as friends~

Yay!

But that fight between SooJi… OTL

Ren: Now, what shall I do to punish you for hurting poor little Soo Min?

Jihoon: You’re joking right? I already said I was sorry.

I’m sorry.

I will apologize to her tomorrow!

Ren: You better… *Feeling really protective now*

Jihoon: I will, relax. I’m already thinking of how to do it.

It’s got to be special… *thinks*

Ren’s expression LOL and Baekho’s…

Poor JR and his little potato friend.

Okay, until next time~