I. Namjoo somehow felt worry as she looked up at his back form while they were walking. He paused at a corner of the staircase and faced her with a smile. The latter tilted her head in confusion.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about? Is it Hayoung?" She asked. He immediately grinned as his response and Namjoo agaped. "D-did Hayoung do something!? I know she can get a little clumsy but you should definitely—" She was cut by Jaehwan's eminent laugh and made her even more confused. He cleared his throat before shaking his head, and told her that him and Hayoung are perfectly fine. Now, she questioned what he really wanted to talk to her about if wasn't Hayoung. To her surprise, he mentioned a name she really didn't want to hear anymore that day. "Hyuk."

"Uh, I know you really don't want to talk about him and it's kind of a sensitive topic but I was just wondering... what do you think of him? Then and, now?" He immediately added to his remark. Namjoo gave a smile, which he was not expecting at all, and joked by saying she felt like she was in a hot seat all of a sudden. She told him that he was really important to her back then, and nowadays she just feels a reluctant guilt always building up every time she sees him. All that and nothing else. But with just those small words, he felt the sincerity and couldn't help but smile back. The girl intriguingly asked him why he was suddenly throwing questions like this in return. He shrugged and gave a quick scratch on his head.

Jaehwan was not really close to Hyuk, he admitted that he thought of their friendship that way. When they were classmates, Hyuk would turn down his offers to go to a party, and would always use studying as an excuse to avoid their invitation. Jaehwan would also always ask if he could come to his house to play or study with him, to meet his parents and to eat at their place but the other would consistently say no. One time, little Jaehwan was curious enough to ask why he won't let him go to his place despite them being good friends. He's wondered for quite some time, but Hyuk never gave a proper answer. One thing Jaehwan knew was that Hyuk's parents are wonderful, and nice people, and raised him very well despite him being an only child, a fact Jaehwan never believed because he knows parents with only one kid usually grows up spoiled. The girl laughed. "I get you." But Jaehwan also spilled that Hyuk once told him how he wanted a little sister to play with. She never knew of that.

"And then, he surprised me one day." He said, smiling at Namjoo. There was once after a long, long time that Hyuk surprisingly contacted him and invited him to his place, he mentioned how he wanted him to meet his parents and a girl he's been thrilled to introduce. He never really imagined a day that he'll be invited to his place to even do all those things. He eagerly said he'll come, and that he won't miss it for the world. "You probably don't remember but Hyuk introduced me to you, but you were with your mom so I don't think you paid attention." He chuckled, even talked about how different he looked back then that she probably wouldn't have guessed it was him. Namjoo giggled in response but wondered why he was telling her of this story.

Jaehwan believed that she was one of the sole reasons why his friend felt genuinely happy for the rarest of times. As he has mentioned before, Hyuk really never cared about a lot of things and that maybe, he never had a fun childhood. But he immediately changed after meeting her. He joked that she might've possessed some kind of black magic, and she couldn't help but laugh. "I know this isn't at all helpful, but Hyuk meeting you was the most amazing thing that ever happened to him, that I was able to witness."

"Thanks, Jaehwan. If I had known better, you're a great friend." She smiled. The guy thanked him back for her compliment, and how he really thinks of her as a friend now that he will get frustrated if she was lying. She laughed with an eager nodding of her head.

"So, how are things with you and Ha—"

"There you two are!" Namjoo was cut off with a bit of a loud utterance from Hayoung coming from another block down the hallway. She approached them and asked where they have been and why she hasn't seen them even after looking for almost 15 minutes. Jaehwan and Namjoo laughed a bit. The latter gave a hug on her arm and told her not to worry like a mother, and that they talked about Hyuk for that lost time. The taller girl gasped hearing an unusually mentioned name coming from her friend. Jaehwan laughed again and gave a slight shrug as he pats on his girlfriend's head. "Come on, Hayoung. Class is in 10 minutes, let's get back."

"What did you say to her? Ya, Lee Jaehwan. What did you say to her?" Hayoung's voice was resonating as she was being pulled away from Namjoo. She giggled.

II. Just as Namjoo was about to head back to t