Eun-ha walked into the apartment and Jong-hyun closed the door behind her. The apartment was pretty empty except for some boxes in a corner and a table in the middle of the living room. There were high windows that overlooked the city on one side of the room and there was a screendoor that led to a balcony on the other side. 

"As you can see, I just moved in and I haven't really had time to unpack or buy some furniture, but you are welcome to look around while I get properly dressed." He said.

"It's fine, I'll just sit right here and wait for you." She replied indicating the spot by the table and he nodded and left. She sat on the floor and tucked her legs underneath her. In five minutes, Jong-hyun was back in the living room, dressed in a sweater and a pair of jeans.

"Would you like something to drink? I make really good coffee." He said.

"No, it's fine. I'd like to say what I want to say as soon as possible." She replied.

Jong-hyun took a sit opposite her on the other side of the table. "Okay, I'm listening."

Eun-ha took a deep sigh, set her bag on the floor, placed her elbows on the table and looked at Jong-hyun square in the face. "Let's be friends." She declared.

Jong-hyun was slightly taken aback. "Friends?"

"Shin-hye and Joon-seossi are dating and we may have to hang out with each other a lot. I don't want things to be awkward between us whenever we meet, it will also be uncomfortable for them."

Jong-hyun gaped at her, never in his life has he been friends with a woman he was so dangerously attracted to. He doesn't think she realizes the ridiculousness of her words. "Friends." He said quietly. He thought about it for a minute. He was indeed hurt by her words because he had hoped she had changed her mind but he realized that it was better this way than never having to see her again. He would take some time and get to know her, even if it's just as friends he would at least have her with him. "Okay, let's be friends." He answered and raised his hands for a handshake.

Eun-ha was shocked, this was not what she was expecting. She had thought that he would refuse to be friends with her because he liked her and then she would have asked him if he wanted to go out with her so they could get to know each other. Her plan was terribly flawed, she had to admit that now. Why would she have thought up such a stupid way of asking about his feelings? Her pride, that's why. She would do her best to not let him know. She raised her hand and shook his and he smiled at her. Her hand pulsed with the electricity between them, she tried to remove her hand from his but he grasped it tighter. After a few moments, he let her hand go. 

"Now, how about that coffee?" He asked.

"Oh. Of course, it's very cold outside. Thank you." She replied. He got up and headed for the kitchen which was separated from the living room by just a long island. She could see him as he moved about the kitchen, making the coffee for her. "What should I call you?"

Jong-hyun seemed to think about it for a minute and turned around to look at her. "Oppa." He replied with a smile.

Eun-ha narrowed her eyes at him. "Oppa?" He didn't look older than her. 

"Of course, I'm already thirty years old." He replied as he set the coffee down in front of her. 

"Wow, you don't look older than me at all. I'm twenty-eight. You really take care of yourself." She replied sipping on her coffee. The warm liquid hit and slowly melted away her nervousness.

"Twenty-eight? You have such a baby-face." He replied, tilting his head as if studying her face carefully.

Eun-ha blushed. "Oppa, you're flustering me." She said putting her hand to her face to cool it down.

Jong-hyun laughed, "It comes naturally, doesn't it? We're friends now, you should at least speak to me comfortably."

"Okay, Oppa." She snorted. "So, when are you ever going to get some furniture for your house? It must be uncomfortable having to sit on the floor every time you have guests." 

"Believe it or not, you're the first guest I've had over. Even Joon-seo hasn't been here yet." 

"Really? Why does that make me feel special?" She laughed.

Jong-hyun remembered her smile, but it was his first time hearing her laugh and it made his heart race. She laughed in such a way that her eyes became tiny slits in her face and her face lit up like a little baby. He was trying hard not to kiss her. He sighed, this was going to be much harder than he thought. 

Eun-ha finished off her coffee and made to take her cup to the kitchen to wash but Jong-hyun stopped her. "You're my first guest." He said.

"Guest or not, I really hate people who don't clean up after themselves when they go to someone else's house." She replied.

"I was just trying to be polite." Jong-hyun sat back down. He really didn't like people like that either.

Eun-ha stood up and looked down at him. "Oppa, we're friends, don't try to be polite. Just be yourself. Are you always polite to Joon-seossi?" She shook her head and went to the kitchen to wash her cup. When she got back, she grabbed her bag and Jong-hyun stood up immediately.

"Are you leaving already?" He asked.

"Eo, it's getting late and I don't like to be stuck in traffic." She replied. She headed toward the door and Jong-hyun followed behind her. 

"Be safe." He said as she walked out the door.

"Okay." She said, standing still outside the door.

"Call me when you get home." He said, still holding the door open.

"Okay." She replied, still not making any move to leave.

"Make sure you have dinner." He said.

"Okay. Oppa, close the door already." She smiled.

He closed the door slowly while waving at her and she waved back with a smile. He finally shut the door and then rested his head against it. He released a deep sigh. "Idiot." He said.

On the other side of the door, Eun-ha rested her back against the door and sighed deeply. "Idiot." She said. 

"What are you doing?" Joon-seo asked as he laid down on the sofa. He was talking to Shin-hye on the phone. They had been dating for a little over a week, and they always talked to each other every day. He found he was able to sleep better if her voice was the last thing he heard at night. Ever since Jong-hyun moved out, he had been feeling alone.

"Just making dinner. My sister called me and said she was in the mood for dwaenjang, so I'm going to make it before she arrives. How are you?" Shin-hye replied as she opened cupboards and grabbed the ingredients for the soup.

"I'm bored." Joon-seo replied.

"Aww, do you want me to come over and play with you?" She teased.

Joon-seo sat upright suddenly. "Can you?" He asked.

"I was just joking." She laughed shaking her head.

Joon-seo pouted and laid back down on the sofa. "Ah mwoya, you can't tease me like that."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you are seriously adorable?" 

"Dwaesso! Ya, do you have time next week?" He asked suddenly.

"Next week? Next week is Christmas." She replied.

"Keurinikka. Do you have time?"

"So-yeon Unni doesn't have anything scheduled until the week after new years, so I guess I'm free. Why?"

"Do you like skiing?" 

"I'm not very good, I usually prefer the beach to the slopes."

"I can teach you. Do you want to go skiing with me?"

"Chincha? Are you serious?"

"Of course. I'm going to invite Jong-hyun too, ask your sister if she wants to come along."

"My sister actually skis better than me, so she would like that idea a lot." Just then, Eun-ha walked into the house. She seemed to be talking to someone over the phone.

"Eo Oppa, I just got in. Okay, have a goodnight." She said and hung up.

"I'll let you know what she says. Good night." Shin-hye said to Joon-seo and hung up.

"Shin-hyeya, na wasseo." Eun-ha said and went in the kitchen to find her sister. She saw her standing at the stove and gave her a backhug. 

"What's wrong with you?" Shn-hye said as she stirred the soup.

"I went to see Park Jong-hyun today." She said burying her head in her sister's back. 

"Keurae? What happened?" Shin-hye turned around faced her sister.

"We decided to be friends." Eun-ha replied.

"You don't seem to be too happy about that though." Shin-hye said, studying her sister's face.

"I did this to myself. My pride got in the way. I should have just asked him if he liked me." Eun-ha said, running her hand through her hair in frustration.

"So, do you like him then?"

"I'm still not certain. I am really attracted to him, it is stronger now than it was a month ago."

Shin-hye decided that they needed to be thrown together one more time so that they could sort out this friendship nonsense. "Do you want to go skiing on Christmas?"

Eun-ha looked at her sister as if she had grown a second head. "How can you just change the subject?"

"I'm not, I'm going to help you sort out your feelings. You're attracted to Jong-hyunssi but you're not sure if you like him just yet, right? Spend some time with him and sort out your heart." Shin-hye explained.

Eun-ha thought about it for a while. Was she willing to put her pride on the line for a change? "The worst that could happen is that he'd reject me, right? No one ever died from being rejected." She said.

"That's the spirit." Shin-hye cheered. She served the food and she and her sister ate. Eun-ha was feeling a lot better after all.

Shin-hye and Eun-ha stood outside the apartment on Christmas eve morning and waited for Joon-seo and Jong-hyun to pick them up. They were going to spend three days at a ski resort and go back the day after Christmas. Shin-hye glanced at her watch, the guys were already running ten minutes late and it was so cold she sniffled. Just then, Joon-seo's car pulled up beside them and the boys got out to help the with their bags.

"Mwoya, you're late." Shin-hye scolded.

"I'm sorry it was my fault, I overslept." Joon-seo apologized. He greeted Eun-ha and lifted Shin-hye's bag into the trunk of the car.

Eun-ha smiled at Jong-hyun, he was looking handsome as always. "Oppa annyeong." She said. He held the backdor of the car open for her so that she could get in. Shin-hye got into the front seat before Joon-seo could open the door for her and she shut the door angrily. Joon-seo smiled and got into the driver's seat and started the car. Shin-hye was silent as Joon-seo drove.

"Are you upset?" Joon-seo asked.

"Are you asking because you don't know?" She replied without looking at him.

"She really hates the cold, she doesn't stand outside unless it's absolutely necessary." Eun-ha piped in from behind.

"I said I'm sorry." Joon-seo said, reaching for her hand while keeping one hand on the wheel. He placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "Mianhae." He said cutely and because she couldn't stay mad at him when he was being cute, he saw a flicker of a smile on her face.

Eun-ha made gagging noises in the backseat and Jong-hyun laughed silently. He leaned closer to Eun-ha and whispered in her ear, "The beanie is very cute." He said indicating the colourful beanie she wore. Eun-ha thought her heart was going to explode because he was so close to her.

"Thanks." She said. They hadn't really spoken much over the past week. Every time she tried to call him, she had chickened out because she didn't know what to say. She hoped that she would have the courage to be able to tell him how she felt before the returned home.

Shin-hye the radio since the car was quiet and the song that played was Some. She caught her sister's eye in the review mirror and began to laugh. Eun-ha blushed and looked out the window.