Jieun woke up the next morning with tears streaming down her eyes. Her heart pounded against her chest and she couldn't stop herself trembling. She quickly covered her eyes and tried to control her breathing.

She had a peculiar dream. She was back as a high school student, but she was near a street light on a rough winter night. Chanyeol, who was also a high school student, was grabbing onto her hair, shouting inconsistent sounds and throwing his fist to hit her. Before the dream ended with Chanyeol's punch, she saw a flash of a familiar figure coming out of the convenience store. Their eyes met, but before she could scream out the person's name, the physical attack had ended her dream.

Jieun slowly sat up on her bed. She brought her knees together and wrapped her arms around them collectively, breathing slowly and wiping away her tears. She let out a shaky sigh and groaned.

I had a dream about Jiyong, she realized. She ran her fingers through her hair. I'm forgetting how he looks. It's been so long.

She got up from her bed and checked on the clock. It was still morning, but the time was a bit too late for Jieun's taste. She grabbed her clothes and started making her way towards the bathroom.

I need to clear out my thoughts with a nice shower. Then, I'll go to Kiha's house and talk to him a bit. Talking to him calms down my nerves, she told herself. With the schedule planned in her head, she closed the bathroom door behind her to get ready for the rest of the day.

~ ~ ~

When Jieun arrived at Kiha's house, the door was once again opened. She carefully pushed the door opened, announced that she was coming in, and closed the door behind her. She walked through the hallways and went into the kitchen.

Whether it was because Chanyeol had come in last night to clean up the place or not, the kitchen looked a lot more spacious and tidy. She was impressed with how the kitchen actually looked when the dishes weren't piled up and when take-out boxes were cleared away. 

I should help out with the cleaning someday, she realized. She ran her index finger across the counter to find it spotless of dirt. Amazing. I didn't know Chanyeol could clean this well. 

"Is anyone home?" Jieun called, looking around. "Jungkook? Chanyeol? Kiha? Any of you guys here?"

She heard one of the doors in the hallway open. She straightened her back and looked up, where she saw Kiha walk into the kitchen. He looked at her with surprise, but quickly changed it into a smile.

"Well, well, well! Isn't it our neighbor, Lee Jieun?" Kiha exclaimed in a cheery tone.

Jieun smiled. "Is anyone else home?"

"Uh, Jungkook went on a date," he told her.

"A date?" She frowned. "Is this one of your little projects?"

"Well, not exactly. He said that he's been recently feeling strange around one girl, so he's going to start dating more girls just to get rid of the feeling. I think he has, like, five dates today?" Kiha said, lazily counting with his fingers.

"Five dates?"

"Maybe six? Could be seven." Kiha grabbed two mugs and walked towards the coffee maker. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please," Jieun replied. As Kiha started to make coffee, she decided to continue the topic. "So Jungkook is feeling strange around a girl?"

"That's what he said," Kiha said. "He said that every time the girl touches him, he feels uncomfortably happy. I'm not sure what that means, but I added that to the manuscript of my novel."

"Uncomfortably happy? Is that possible?" Jieun asked.

"I don't think it's possible, but he does. Then I told him, 'Hey, maybe you like this girl!' and he gave me the most offended look that I've got since I told him that he looked good with a girl he dated back in middle school," Kiha explained. "It kind of sounds like love to me, to be quite honest."

"I don't think that sounds like love," she told him.

"Really? Then what does love sound like to you?" Kiha asked her curiously.

Jieun pressed her lips. "Love… It's a lot more complicated than that."

"Really? I think being 'uncomfortably happy' is pretty complicated itself."

"Well, yes, but love is…soothing. It's sweet and loving. Love is something that's beautiful and comforting."

Kiha snorted. "That just sounds like what love should be."

"Well, what do you think love is?" Jieun asked him.

"Love? Love is money," Kiha said, giving her a playful smile. "It's what I use to make money. In other words, love is 'the feels'."

Jieun frowned. "Love is definitely not money. Money destroys love. It destroys bonds."

"Money can make new ones if you're simple-minded enough," Kiha pointed out. "Love is for the simple-minded people. People who over think love tend to be unhappy."

"What do you mean?"

"Love should come naturally and absent-mindedly. It's like when you expect something. When you expect something from love, you might be disappointed with the results."

Jieun's face turned quite grim. "Unfortunately, I understand the last part…"

"Oh, you do? Care to share your little story with me? I do love a good story," Kiha said. He stopped and turned around. "Do you like ice in your coffee? I personally don't like ice, but Jungkook likes ice with his coffee. It's a nice day, so you can drink it with or without ice."

"I'll have it without, thank you," Jieun said. He nodded and brought two cups of coffee to the table.

"Sugar and cream are right here," Kiha told her, pointing to two small cases.

"Thank you," she said, reaching to grab the packets.

"So, your story? You said that you understand the part where love is a disappointment?" Kiha said.

"Well… I had a guy that I loved—"

"Chanyeol?"

"No, another man," she told him. "Actually, this man was someone I loved while I was dating Chanyeol and after I broke up with him."

"So you were cheating on Chanyeol?" Kiha asked her, raising his eyebrows. "You don't seem like the type to cheat on guys."

"I didn't mean to cheat on Chanyeol. Well, he was kind of cheating on me, too," Jieun murmured. When she refused to reveal any more detail about Chanyeol, Kiha only encouraged her to move on with the story. "So after Chanyeol and I broke up, this man promised me that he would go on dates with me when I turn twenty."

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold up." Kiha sipped his coffee before giving her a strange look. "How old was this guy?"

"He's the same age as me now, so twenty-two."

"And how old were you?"

"I was seventeen."

Kiha started counting in his head. "So there was a five-year ?"

"Yes."

"And he obviously couldn't touch you because you were still seventeen, right?"

"Well…"

"Oh my gosh. Did you really—"

"No, but we did kiss." Jieun turned a bit pink. "We kissed a few times."

"So you're twenty-two. Two years has passed since you were twenty years old. Where is the guy?" Kiha inquired.

Her blush faded. "That's the small problem. It was what he promised, but he never kept it."

"So he lied to you?" She nodded. "For what reason?"

"For another woman."

Kiha kept very quiet as Jieun took the time to sip her coffee. She glanced out the window, staring at the empty streets before gazing upon Kiha's sympathetic eyes.

"Please don't look at me like that," she told him. "It makes me feel small and helpless. It reminds me of how I felt before the man I loved left me: useless and petty."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down at his drink.

"You don't have to be sorry. That event was probably my fault—"

"No, not that. I'm apologizing for looking at you in a manner that you didn't like," he corrected her.

"Oh. Well, um, in that case, you're forgiven," she said in an awkward manner.

"Thank you for your forgiveness," Kiha said with a small smile. He got up from the table and walked over to the counters. "Would you like anything to eat? Fruits? Snacks? I think we have some leftover deserts in the fridge… Nope, never mind. Jungkook ate it all."

"I'm fine. I'm enjoying this cup of coffee," she said, raising her cup.

"Are you sure?" Kiha brought over some crackers to the table. "Well, feel free to have one if you want." He sipped his coffee before continuing. "Okay, so the man you loved left you for another woman. Did he not love you?"

"I don't know if he loved me or not. He was a difficult man to understand," she revealed. "He was often quiet, reserved, and didn't like to get into too much drama."

"But why did he leave you for another woman, then?"

"Because he was already engaged," she told him. "He didn't want to marry for love, but for money. He ran away from her before, but when she came for him, he decided to leave me with her and tie the knots."

"Were you invited to their wedding?"

"Oh, absolutely not. He didn't even contact me after he left me. I tried chasing after him, but Jiho stopped me…"

"Jiho?"

"He's a good friend of mine. He has always been there since high school. He never left my side until recently, when I decided to go to a new town and become a teacher here."

"So you left Jiho back at your old place?" Kiha asked.

"I left him with my best friend, Minah."

"Kind of sounds like he's been friend-zoned."

"He… did confess to me before in the past." Jieun forced a smile. "B-But all of that is in the past… There is absolutely no reason to think about such trivial matters."

Kiha paused before drinking his coffee. "Is thinking about the past so trivial?"

"Excuse me?"

"The past. Is it so troubling to think about the bad memories?" Kiha asked her in a curious tone.

"Of course!" Jieun cried out. "Every time I think of that rainy day, I keep asking myself, 'What would've happened if I didn't listen to Jiho? What would've happened if I actually got on the bus? Could I have met Jiyong? If I did, could things worked out differently from now?' I keep wondering and wondering, but I don't end up with a concrete answer. It troubles me a lot."

"So is he gone forever?"

"Jiho?"

"No, the man you loved," Kiha said. He finally looked at her straight in her eyes. She felt a small chill running down her spine. "Is he gone forever?"

"W-Well, he's alive and doing well—"

"No, what I'm trying to say is that is he gone forever in the future?"

Jieun kept quiet. "I don't quite understand what you're trying to tell me…"

"The man you loved obviously exists in your past, but does he still exist in your future?"

"I don't know what the future will provide me, so I can't answer such a question."

"So you're expecting him?" Kiha raised his eyebrows in slight amusement. "You're expecting his return?"

Jieun suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach. She was sure that she was just having a simple conversation about her own life story with Kiha, but why did it feel like he was inquiring her as if she was committing some kind of crime? Her fingers trembled and her lips quivered. Her skin turned to a ghastly shade of white. She tried to make eye-contact with him, but she subconsciously averted her gaze.

He was extracting information out of her, and she knew it. How was he doing it? She couldn't find a definite answer.

"I-I don't know," Jieun lamely muttered.

Kiha paused. He quickly brightened the atmosphere with a warm smile. Glancing down at his empty cup, he let out a small gasp and chuckled to himself.

"Oh, look!" he exclaimed, quickly changing the tone of his voice. "It looks like I finished my coffee. Did you finish?"

Jieun looked down and noticed that her cup was empty. She nodded and he took away her cup. When she glanced at the clock, she gasped and quickly got up.

"It's already three in the afternoon!" Jieun blurted.

Kiha glanced at the clock and smiled. "Indeed, it is."

I've been talking to him for almost two hours, she realized. It only felt like minutes passed by.

"You should come by more often, Jieun. It's fun talking to you," Kiha said. He turned around and noticed her making her way to the door. "Oh? You're leaving already?"

"I'm afraid that I need to go back to my house right now. I still have dinner to make and need to grade papers," Jieun said.

"Why don't you have dinner with me?" Kiha asked out of the blue. Jieun blinked her eyes. "Jungkook won't be here, but Chanyeol might be."

"O-Oh. You didn't mean have dinner alone with you," she said. There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. She cleared and forced a smile. "No, I shouldn't. You've always invited me out to eat. I shouldn't bother you too often. Maybe you can come over to my house for dinner one day?"

"I'd hate for you to do all the dishes, though," Kiha said, frowning a bit. "I have Jungkook and Chanyeol to do the dishes here, but you only have yourself over there."

"It's fine. We can have, like, pizza or something," she said.

He grinned. "Then I'm looking forward for your invitation."

Jieun smiled. "I'll tell you when the best date is for dinner at my place." Right before she left the house, she turned around and pressed her lips. "And…if you think that it's a good idea to bring Chanyeol, then please do bring him over once we arrange dinner."

Kiha stared at her. "I thought you didn't really like Chanyeol."

"I don't like him, but he's been earning some brownie points from me," she said with a shrug.

"Okay, then. You can't take back your words, okay?"

"I'll try," she said, smiling. She stepped out of the house and started to go back to her own place.

After Jieun left, Kiha went back into his house and closed the door. He walked down the hall until he arrived at his room. Once he arrived at his room, he closed the door behind him and his desk lamp, where its light touched the several drawings of webtoons. He took a seat, rotating his neck, and cracked his knuckles before picking up a pencil to make a rough sketch and plan-out for his newest chapter.

"'Chapter 3,'" Kiha recited, "'The female lead stands up to her ex-boyfriend…'"

~ ~ ~

"That was so much fun, Jungkook!"

"Mhm."

"I loved the movie you picked out. You have great taste in films."

"Mhm."

"Oh, and did you see the way the lead actor kissed the actress?"

"Mhm."

"I wouldn't mind if you kissed me like that, too… You can bit my bottom lip and use your tongue and…"

"Mhm."

"Jungkook, are you even listening to me?"

"M—" Jungkook stopped himself and quickly looked at his fourth date of the day. He quickly cleared his throat and gave his date a sheepish smile. He wasn't sure who the girl was. All he remembered was that the girl was hot and that he decided to pick her up on the street. Fortunately for him, everything was going smoothly until the date was coming to an end. "I'm sorry. I'm a bit distracted today."

"You look really distracted," the girl said with a loud huff. "Well, I'll forgive you for today. Give me your number." He handed her his cell phone. "So when should we play again?"

"Play…? Oh! Right! Play! Um… I'll text you. I got my uncle to watch out for, so I'm not sure how my schedule is going to turn out," Jungkook lied, letting out a fake (but believable) laugh. The girl frowned, but quickly let out a flirtatious giggle.

"Well, that's fine with me! Make sure you call, okay? I hate it when guys text," the girl said. She started to turn. "I head over that way. I'll see you next time?"

"Wait!" Jungkook exclaimed. He lunged forward and grabbed her wrist. The girl's heart squeezed when she saw jungkook's reaction.

"W-What?" she asked in a shy manner.

"Pat my head," he commanded.

The girl stared at him. "Um, what?"

"Pat my head," he repeated. He arched his back so that she could reach better for his head. "Go on. Pat it."

The girl continued to stare at him. "And what's this all about—"

"Just pat it!" he demanded. The girl, weirded out by his behavior, did as she was told. 

After patting his head, she slowly withdrew her hand. She looked at him for quite some time, waiting for his reaction. Jungkook slowly straightened his back, reached over for his head, then let out a disappointing sigh.

"Damn it," he muttered. "It's not the same…" He looked at the girl. "Delete my number. I don't want to meet you up anymore."

Why is it so different when Jieun pats my head compared to other girls? he wondered. I've been doing this all day, and all the other girl's' pats feel the same! There can't be something wrong with me, right? He shook his head. No, calm down, Jungkook. You just have to find a girl like Jieun. Yeah. Yeah! A girl like Jieun! Now, which one of these girls look like Jieun…

The girl dropped her jaws and stood still while Jungkook turned around to pick out his next vicim.