Young Bae lay awake, staring at his phone. He was exhausted, but unable to sleep. He scrolled through some pictures, stopping on one of Ji Yong from a year ago. In the picture, he was smiling, his arm around Jin Ah’s shoulders. But it was a fake smile; his sad eyes were on Young Bae, behind the camera. He ran a finger over his friend’s youthful face.

His door buzzed, causing his mood to fall even further; it was Jin Ah. She had become increasingly clingy the past month, since she had snuck into his house. She had never mentioned the incident, so neither did he, pretending he didn’t know she was there. It was easier that way.

“Oppa!” she greeted him with an enthusiastic hug. “I had the best day! My mother came to Seoul, so we went shopping all day. I bought the most beautiful bag. Isn’t it gorgeous?” She held up her new purse.

“Yeah.”

“So, we went all over; Hongdae, Gangnam, everywhere. It was so much fun! We even spent time in this adorable jewelry store. They had these lovely couple rings that would be just absolutely perfect for our wedding. I almost bought them, but my mom said I should let you.”

“Wedding?” he asked softly.

“Yes. They were expensive, but so perfect. I’ll take you there when you have a free day. Oh! And we should talk to Yang Hyun Suk-ssi about going public. We want your fans to have time to get used to me before we get married.” She giggled and hugged him again. “It’s all so exciting!”

“Er… Jin Ah-ah, I didn’t… We’ve never… I haven’t proposed.”

“Obviously,” she laughed, but it sounded forced. “I did. Yesterday, after dinner.”

“That…that was a proposal? We were just talking about the future. You asked me about kids.”

“Exactly. And we agreed on it all. We match. Of course we’re engaged now.”

“What?! Look, I’m sorry, but at no point did I agree on marrying you. I’m not ready for that yet, not with anyone.”

“Oppa, we love each other. Why wait? I want to start our family. I called my mom this morning; we’ve been talking it through. She thinks we should wait a couple of months for the flowers to bloom.”

“Oh my god. This can’t be real. Gil Jin Ah, I’m not going to marry you. Not now, not in a few months, not in a year. I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, but I can’t do this anymore. I just can’t.”

She was silent for a few minutes, but when she spoke, her voice surprisingly calm.

“Is it because of Ji Yong-oppa?”

“What?” His head snapped towards her, but she was looking away, at a picture of them after their first concert.

“It is, right? You two are… It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to lose you, I love you. He can even live with us, if that’s what you want. I’ll be your wife, I’ll give you children, I can make you happy. And you can still have him, if that’s what you need. We can make it work.”

Young Bae opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

“Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

Her eyes watered, but she picked up her things and left silently.

Would he ever find another woman who could offer him those things? That could accept his relationship with Ji Yong? Holding his head in his hands, he sat on the edge of the bed to think.