“Sometimes, I think it’s a curse,” Eunmi mused lightly. She unwrapped a piece of candy leisurely between her fingers and then dropped the wrapper on the table. She briefly observed the bright red candy and then popped it into . “Mmm. Cherry. I like. Yah, give me all the red ones.”

Baekhyun  handed the half-empty bag of candies to her so she could pick out the red ones. His eyebrows were raised as he watched her from across the table. “What’s a curse?” he wondered.

Eunmi set out a handful of red candies on the table. “I’ve always hated romance dramas,” she replied. “To the point where I would sometimes start watching a drama and then drop it as soon as the sappy romance started. So God must have thought- well, this girl refuses to watch dramas on television so let’s play one out before her in real life, and see how she likes it.”

Baekhyun snickered. “Yeah? I get what you mean.”

Eunmi looked up from her collection of the red candies to the counter at the bakery, where a pretty girl in an apron was working. She looked busy as she set cakes in the display case and tucked her long, dark hair behind her ear effortlessly. The apron and uniform weren’t too flattering, but she still managed to look unnaturally pretty. “Just look at her,” Eunmi sighed, resting a hand on her chin as she glanced at the girl. “Doesn’t she just scream drama lead female?”

“I wonder why, though,” Baekhyun mused.

“Soojung is gorgeous; but in a cute way not in an intimidating way. She’s humble because her family doesn’t have much money, so she has to work her way through college. She’s extremely passionate about her work and yet she still manages to be a little dense, enough to keep the plot going.”

“Should you be talking about your best friend like that?” Baekhyun asked with a chuckle.

“Hey. I call it as I see it. Being dense isn’t a bad thing. If she catches on to the guy’s feelings too early, then what’s the point?” Eunmi popped one of the red candies into and winced. “Yuck! Why does this one taste so bad?”

“Because it’s watermelon, you idiot,” Baekhyun replied, picking up the wrapper and showing her that it was a slightly different shade of red from the cherry one. He gave her a cheeky smile. “Look at it before you eat it, at least.”

“Watermelon wrappers should be green,” Eunmi grumbled.

“But the part you eat is red.”

“But the outside is green so the wrapper should be green,” Eunmi pressed, shaking the bag at him. “And there are no other green fruits so what’s the point of having two red candies when you can have one red and one green and not put people through the trauma of eating a watermelon candy when they really wanted a cherry?”

“Because the part you eat is red.”

“Some watermelons are pink inside.”

Baekhyun sighed. “Yes, but if they made it pink then by your logic, it would clash with the strawberry,” he held up a strawberry candy. “Which is also pink.”

Eunmi made a face. “Strawberries aren’t actually pink, they’re red.”

“So you want three red candies, then? Cherry, Strawberry and Watermelon?” Baekhyun demanded.

“No. It’s two, because watermelon should be green.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing that their bickering was pointless. Baekhyun reached over to help Eunmi separate the watermelon candies from the cherry ones. She watched him pick them silently, as the door to the bakery jingled and another figure stepped in.

“Ah,” Eunmi muttered, tapping Baekhyun’s hand urgently. “Look- our lead male has made his entrance.”

Indeed, Park Chanyeol was the perfect lead male. Tall, with a presence that couldn’t be ignored and with overflowing ego and charm. He entered the bakery coolly and calmly, as if he owned it.

Which he did, in fact.

“He’s the perfect lead male,” Eunmi pressed. “He’s tall, he’s usually frowning- I heard he rejects all the girls straight away. Rich, too- his mother owns this bakery, right? And his dad is the President of some company? Must be arrogant.”

Baekhyun tilted his head slightly and frowned. “I wouldn’t say so. He’s a decent guy once you get to know him.”

“Of course he is,” Eunmi replied, as if it was obvious. She took the handful of cherry candies that Baekhyun handed her. “He has to be a decent guy to be the male protagonist. But that’s not revealed at first. He needs to look like a jerk for at least the first four episodes or it’s no fun. It’s just…”

“Just what?” Baekhyun asked.

“Well, it’s the ears that bother me,” Eunmi admitted, tilting her head. “They stick out. It’s too cute. Ruins his image a little, but that’s okay. It’ll come in handy later when she finds out he’s actually a sweet fun-loving person and the cold persona is a front he’s putting on because his parents didn’t love him enough as a kid, or his grandma died or something.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help a snicker. “You’re crazy.”

Eunmi flicked a candy at him. “Hey. If you had anything better to do, then you wouldn’t be sitting here and listening to me. You’re lucky you even get a role in this drama, idiot.”

“I get a role?” Baekhyun mused.

“Hmm. What do you want?” she tapped her chin lightly. “Second male lead? It might work. Your character is starkly different from Chanyeol’s- he’s smart and cool while you’re stupid and cheerful so the contrast works well.”

Baekhyun made a face as he unwrapped a strawberry candy. “Nah. Second male leads are always miserable and moping around by the end. I’ll just be the main lead’s best friend. I prefer to watch. Comic relief, maybe?” he offered with a cheeky smile.

“I’ll offer you a mildly touching bromance storyline with Chanyeol. Two episodes, max,” Eunmi offered.

Baekhyun grinned. “I’ll take it.” 

Eunmi laughed, just as Chanyeol approached their table. The two of them fell silent and looked up at the tall and slightly intimidating boy. He gave Eunmi a brief nod of acknowledgement, before glancing at Baekhyun. “Baekhyun-ah let’s go. We’re getting late for practice,” he said in his deep voice.  

Baekhyun nodded and grabbed his bag, starting to gather his things. “Sure, just give me a second-“

There was a loud crash from the front of the bakery and everyone whirled around to look. Soojung had accidentally dropped a large metal plate. Luckily, there was nothing on it and the only damage was the loud banging noise it made. The sound of her voice apologizing repeatedly drifted over to them.

Chanyeol was staring at Soojung, his eyes shining but his lips turned down into a frown. “Does she do anything right? I wonder why we even hired that klutz,” he muttered. He turned his gaze back to Baekhyun. “Yah, hurry up.”

“Coming,” Baekhyun replied. He exchanged a knowing glance with Eunmi and smiled. “I guess that’s all for episode 1, eh?”

“We’ll discuss 2 next time,” Eunmi promised. She glanced at Chanyeol briefly. “Nice to see you, Chanyeol-ssi.”

Chanyeol nodded at her again, before walking out of the bakery with Baekhyun. Eunmi could hear them talking in low voices as they exited the bakery and Chanyeol muttered-

“Episode 2? What were you talking about?”

Baekhyun grinned. “Just a drama we’re both following.”

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Eunmi sighed as she stuffed her exam results in her backpack. Her grades had been falling slightly, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. I should stop sleeping in class, she mused to herself. She stood up from her desk when a familiar figure bounced over to her.

“Eunmi-ah!” Baekhyun greeted.

Eunmi smiled and greeted him in return. She had known Baekhyun since they were kids. He used to pick on her in middle school, but somehow as they matured, the two of them had become quite close in high school. Eunmi liked spending time with him- he was fun, and didn’t seem to mind the nonsense that came out of sometimes.

“How were your exam results?” Baekhyun asked.

“Don’t ask,” Eunmi grumbled.

“Er… okay.” He shrugged and held up his paper. “I passed. Chanyeol failed, though. He’s moping around, and he left without me, so I don’t have a ride. Take the bus with me?”

Eunmi nodded. “Sure. Let me check with Soojung- Soojung-ah! Are you going home?”

Soojung turned around and blinked. “Oh, Eunmi. I’m not going home yet. I’m headed to the library. The professor asked me to tutor somebody as a favor, so have to go meet them.” She sounded reluctant as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “You’ll never believe who- Park Chanyeol.”

Eunmi and Baekhyun exchanged knowing looks. “Oh really?”

“Chanyeol can be really unbearable at times,” Baekhyun put in, just to see how Soojung would react.

Soojung flushed a slight shade of red. “No, he’s… actually, I don’t know. Sorry. I’m going to be late, excuse me.”

She hurried out of the classroom, leaving Baekhyun and Eunmi standing alone. The two of them exchanged knowing glances before slowly walking out of the classroom themselves. The drama storyline was steadily progressing, and the pair had a lot of fun predicting what was going to happen next.

“It’s what I call the lucky-coincidence stage,” Eunmi explained calmly, as she and Baekhyun casually walked towards the nearest bus stop. He was listening to her, his constant cheeky smile on his face. “There there are a series of coincidences that push them into spending time together, even though they may not like to. It starts off unpleasant, but then they slowly get to know each other and affection develops.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Oh. Like the tutoring, and working at the bakery…?”

“Sure,” Eunmi replied. She sighed and tilted her head. “It’s funny. Usually, the leads’ friends are the ones that facilitate this stage, but you and I haven’t done anything yet. We’re pretty useless supporting characters, huh?”

“Maybe. I can’t think of anything to do, though. Chanyeol seems to be falling for Soojung just fine on his own, although he won’t admit it.”  

Eunmi cocked her head thoughtfully. “I feel like Soojung still needs some more prodding. We need to reveal a side of Chanyeol to her that she didn’t know existed, so she can fall for him. What would you say is the most charming thing about Chanyeol?”

“Ah!” Baekhyun brightened up. “He looks really cool when he plays the guitar. Why don’t you bring Soojung to the bar across from campus? We’re performing there tonight, she can see Chanyeol play!”

Eunmi reached across and gave Baekhyun a high-five.

“My friend, I love the way you think.”

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“I have a test tomorrow. Do we really have to be here?” Soojung whined as they walked into the slightly crowded bar.

Eunmi shushed her. It had taken a lot of convincing to bring Soojung to the bar, which wasn’t really her sort of place. Soojung was the typical drama lead who preferred to stay home and do responsible things instead of go out and drink. Eunmi glanced around towards the stage and instantly spotted the group of boys performing.

Baekhyun was at the mike, and Eunmi smiled and waved at him. He had an amazing voice. She had known about it since high school, when he had quietly admitted to her once that he really wanted to be a singer, but that he didn’t have the confidence to take it on as a career. It wasn’t until Chanyeol came along and recruited Baekhyun into his band that he’d even gathered the confidence to sing in public.

“Is that Park Chanyeol?” Soojung asked suddenly.

Chanyeol was playing the guitar while singing back-up vocal, and Eunmi had to admit that he looked quite handsome while doing it. Eunmi smiled at the way Soojung couldn’t tear her eyes off him. Looks like this trip had been useful after all.

“Yeah. You didn’t know that he and Baekhyun perform here sometimes?” Eunmi asked lightly. “Come on, let’s go get a drink.”

They headed over to the bar to grab drinks, and sipped them as they waited for the performance to end. Once it was over, Baekhyun immediately leapt down from the stage and bounded over to them. His hair was styled up, he’d clearly put more effort into it than he did every day. Eunmi had to pause to admire the sight of his shoulders in the black leather jacket he was wearing. He waved at them happily.

“Eunmi-ah! Soojung-ah! You came!” he said cheerfully. He gave them a wink. “What did you think of my charming vocals?”

Eunmi flushed, but rolled her eyes. “You’re a good singer.” Then, prodding him in the right direction, she gave him a meaningful look. “Where’s Chanyeol-ssi?”

“Oh.” Baekhyun grinned and turned around to wave at Chanyeol who was putting his guitar into its case and pretending like he hadn’t noticed them. “Chanyeol! Come say hi to Eunmi and Soojung! I invited them over to hear our performance!” he called.

Chanyeol trailed over, and gave both girls a brief nod. “Hi,” he greeted.

“I didn’t know you played guitar,” Soojung admitted quietly. She seemed unable to make eye contact with Chanyeol. Probably because she was feeling too shy after watching his performance. Eunmi smiled happily, wondering how to leave this awkward lead couple alone together, when Baekhyun solved the problem.

“Eunmi-ah, come help me get a drink. They always serve girls faster.”

She followed Baekhyun quickly, not giving Soojung a chance to protest her leaving. Baekhyun grasped Eunmi’s hand and pulled her a small distance away. It was slightly crowded, and Eunmi flushed when Baekhyun casually placed a hand on her back and pulled her closer to him to prevent her from hitting random people in the crowd. She couldn’t help but breathe in his scent; it was surprisingly masculine.

“Yah! Did you just sniff me?” Baekhyun demanded, looking down at her, amused.

Eunmi shrugged. “You smell nice. Sue me. You look much better dressed than usual, too. You generally turn up to class in your trackpants half the time. What’s the occasion?”

Baekhyun pouted. “Why? Comic relief isn’t allowed to look handsome?”

“Comic relief can do whatever, most of his scenes get cut anyway,” Eunmi teased. They both came to a stop at a slightly more empty part of the bar, where they still had a view of Chanyeol and Soojung. Eunmi glanced back at them, noticing that they were conversing. She sighed, suddenly wishing that somebody would look at her the way Chanyeol was looking at Soojung.

“Yah,” Eunmi muttered, poking Baekhyun. “Introduce me to that drummer of yours.”

Baekhyun paused. “Sehun? Why?”

“Because he’s good-looking,” Eunmi replied, as if it was obvious. When Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at her, she flushed slightly. “What? I’m not a lead female, a guy isn’t going to come falling into my lap. We supporting characters have to watch out for ourselves, you know.”

Baekhyun looked unimpressed. “Hmm. Well, look elsewhere. Sehun has a girlfriend.”

“How about that guy who was playing bass-“

“Kai has a girlfriend too. She’s a model.”

Eunmi made a face and slumped her shoulders. “Okay, I get the message. Your bandmates are out of my league. You can be a little nicer about it, you know? It’s not like you have some model girlfriend,” she grumbled.

Baekhyun blinked. “I’ve been thinking about dating lately.”

“You?” Eunmi asked, surprised.

“Yeah. I mean, there was that girl I dated in high school, but…” he trailed off, making a face. “That was really stupid, I can’t even remember why I liked her. I think I’m ready for a more mature relationship now. Not just somebody that’s pretty or attractive but somebody I’m compatible with and who’ll stick around for the long run.”

Eunmi stared at him for a long moment. It was odd to hear something like that coming from Baekhyun, who’s interest in girls was so fleeting that he often forgot about them before he even got around to asking them out. She blinked at him for a few moments. “You’re being creepy,” she told him bluntly.

Baekhyun laughed, embarrassed. “Why? You don’t think I could do it?” 

“I mean…” Eunmi trailed off, realizing that he was being genuine. “Of course you could. It’s just hard for me to imagine you in a serious relationship. I can always count on you to be free whenever I want to hang out, and I just can’t imagine you telling me ‘oh, I can’t make it, I have a date.’ If you suddenly go get yourself a life, what am I supposed to do?” she whined.

Baekhyun chuckled, his arm wrapping around her shoulder fondly. “You get a life, too?”

“How? You won’t even introduce me to your handsome bandmates!”

“I told you, they have girlfriends already!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eunmi shrugged his arm off her shoulder and pouted. “I’m just going to live vicariously through Soojung for now. Speaking of which- is that her third drink? Man, she’s a complete lightweight, what is she thinking?” she wondered as she watched Soojung get herself another drink.

“Isn’t it a good thing? Now Chanyeol can take her home if she gets drunk.”

Eunmi narrowed her eyes. “He wouldn’t take advantage of her, would he?”

“No way! Chanyeol’s not that kind of guy.”

“Okay. Then I’ll leave her be for now.” Eunmi sighed and shook her empty drink. “I want another one too. Somehow, my mood has just gone down.”

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“Yah! Would you hold on tighter? If you fall off and hurt yourself, I’ll just leave you here!” Baekhyun warned. He reached back to readjust Eunmi on his back carefully, and then continued walking down the street. Eunmi pouted, and wrapped her arms around his neck more tightly.

“You have soft hair,” she cooed, as she pressed her cheek to his hair.

Baekhyun flushed. She was holding onto him tightly, and he could feel her s pressed against his back as she rubbed her cheek against his hair. They had never been so close- they’d been friends for years, but skinship wasn't something they indulged in often. “Stop touching my hair and hold on a little tighter, idiot.”

Eunmi ignored him. “What shampoo do you use?” she wondered. She let her fingers slide through his hair lightly. “It’s so soft.” She let out a giggle as she ran her hands through it again. “Soft, soft, soft.”

“Wow, you’re so drunk.” Baekhyun let out a slight huff as he continued walking down the street. “What’s with you today? You generally don’t drink beyond your limit.”

Eunmi pouted. “Why should I always be the responsible one?”

“No one’s saying you have to be-“

“W-why can’t I do something stupid and let a guy swoop in and save me?” Eunmi demanded. “Do you know how hard it is taking care of yourself? Most girls have loving and caring boyfriends who’ll take care of them when they’re drunk. I want a boyfriend  who’ll scold me fondly for drinking too much and then carry me home.”

Baekhyun stopped walking. “Yah!” he demanded. “What am I doing right now? Should I leave you here?” 

Her arms tightened around his shoulders. “No,” she mumbled.

“Stop being ungrateful, then.”

“But…” she let out a small sniff. “But Baekhyun-ah. I don’t want to be a supporting character anymore. Don’t tell anyone I said this, okay? Nobody can ever know. But I’m… I’m really jealous of Soojung. I’m so jealous of her, sometimes, I hate myself.”

Baekhyun paused. “What are you saying?” he mumbled.

“You know why I hate watching dramas? B-because I wish I was the main character. I want somebody to swoop in and take care of me. I don’t want to be alone. I’m tired of being alone. I’m 22 and I’ve never been in love. So when I watch dramas, I just end up hating the female characters. Half the time, they can’t even see what’s in front of them. I’m much smarter and more sensible. Why do they get to fall in love? Why don’t I?” 

Baekhyun scoffed slightly as he continued walking. “You think too much of yourself.” 

“I want to fall in love,” she mumbled. Her head bounced as she closed her eyes. “I want to fall in love. I want somebody to love me!”

“Okay, I get it.”

“But.” She paused and looked down at him. “But that sounds so desperate. And it’s really embarrassing. So you can’t tell anyone, okay? You have to keep my secret.” 

He smiled to himself. “I’ll keep your secret.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

They reached her apartment, and Baekhyun found that the door was already unlocked. He stepped inside the apartment, in time to see Chanyeol exiting one of the bedrooms. He froze as soon as he saw Baekhyun and looked extremely embarrassed.

“Oh. Baek, uh…” Chanyeol trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck. “Soojung was drunk… so I brought her here and put her to bed…”

Eunmi’s head snapped up from where she was dozing off on Baekhyun back. “Did you leave a note?” she demanded, pointing at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol blinked. “A note?”

“You idiot! How else is she going to know you took care of her while she was drunk? She has to know in order to fall in love with you!” Eunmi scolded him. Chanyeol looked startled.  “Go back there and leave a thoughtful, but slightly tsundere note for her to find in the morning. And… don’t sign your name directly. Sign something slightly mysterious, like CY or something.” 

“How drunk is she?” Chanyeol wondered, raising an eyebrow at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun shook his head fondly. “She’s always like this.”

“I see…”

“The note isn’t a bad idea, though.”

Chanyeol rubbed the back of his neck. “You think?”

Baekhyun grinned. “Sure. Give it a shot. Eunmi knows her stuff.”

Chanyeol sheepishly retreated into Soojung’s bedroom and Baekhyun sighed, before heading towards Eunmi’s. Her room was a bit of a mess, but he kicked open the door and set her down carefully on top of the comforter. Eunmi lay back on her bed and sighed loudly, her head plopping onto the pillow.

“Baekhyun-ah…”

“Hmm?” he asked.

“Are you really going to get a girlfriend?” she asked quietly.

“Why?” He sat down on the edge of the bed, and gently moved her messy hair out of her flushed face. Eunmi’s big eyes were blinking at him innocently and her lips were in a small pout. “You don’t want me to?”

“No,” she replied quietly. “I don’t like the idea of you having a girlfriend.”

“Hmm. Why not?”

“Because girls are smart and cunning. They use innocent guys like you, did you know that? You’re too pure. You don’t know how evil girls can be. I don’t want to see you falling into some girl’s trap,” she  glared at him. “Nice guys like you have bad taste in girls.”

“Are you sure about that?” Baekhyun asked.

“Sure. Don’t you watch the dramas? The lead’s innocent best friend usually falls for some pretty, characterless girl who uses him and then leaves him broken.”

“What if I dated a really nice girl?” Baekhyun wondered. “Would you be okay with it then?”

Eunmi shook her head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because if she’s too nice, then I won’t have a justified reason to hate her. And I’ll end up being the bad person.” She sat up suddenly, her eyes widening. “Oh my God. I’ll be that clingy female childhood friend who everyone hates because she just randomly turns up halfway through the season and tries to sabotage the leads’ relationship.”

“You’ll sabotage my relationship?” Baekhyun demanded, amused.

“I will,” she decided firmly, pointing a finger at him. “I’ll forcefully kiss you in front of her so that she thinks you cheated on her. Then she’ll go home crying and I’ll have you all to myself.”

Baekhyun couldn’t hold in his laughter. “Yah. For somebody who claims not to watch dramas, you sure know a lot about them.”

“I’d rather be the supporting character than the villain,” Eunmi muttered. She lay back down, plopping her head on the pillow. “But… but villains get more screen time. I don’t know. I can’t decide.” She blinked up at Baekhyun. “What do you think?”

“I think you should sleep,” he said gently, pulling up the covers and placing them over her. “Goodnight.”

Eunmi closed her eyes as she felt a gentle pressure on her forehead. “Goodnight.”

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When Eunmi woke up, she had a headache. She sat up and trudged into the bathroom miserably, wishing she hadn’t had so much to drink the previous night. She had just picked up her toothbrush and was squeezing toothpaste onto it when she saw something yellow on her face in the mirror.

There was a post-it stuck to her forehead.

She tore it off and looked at it, only to find Baekhyun’s chicken scrawl across it. The note was brief and it read-

Have fun with your hangover!

Also- you’re no villain. You’re just full of big talk.

Eunmi had no idea what he was talking about. She crumpled up the note with a frown and tossed it in the trash can, before proceeding to brush her teeth quickly. Why had she gone out drinking when she knew that she had class the next day? Stupid, stupid, stupid…

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“I got so drunk last night,” Soojung informed Eunmi, as they both sat in class together. “I think Chanyeol took me home. He left a note. How could you leave me at the bar with him? Why didn’t you take me home yourself?” she whined.

Eunmi’s head was resting on the table and her voice sounded muffled. “You think I was sober enough to take you home? I couldn’t walk straight. Baekhyun carried me home on his back.”

Soojung paused. “Oh. That’s sweet of him.”

“Yeah, right. He’s going to whine about how heavy I was all day, just wait and see.”

Just in time, Baekhyun came over to their table with his backpack slung over his shoulder. He absent-mindedly rubbed his shoulders and gave Eunmi a pointed look. “Ahh… I’ve got this weird ache in my shoulders today. I wonder why? It’s almost as if I strained myself carrying a heavy weight around.” He had a cheeky grin on his face and Eunmi glared at him. 

“If you start commenting on my weight, you’re going to have a lot more body aches to deal with,” Eunmi replied firmly, pointing a finger at him. She started to gather her bags.

“You could at least say thank you properly?” Baekhyun teased.

“Yes, okay. Eternally grateful, thanks a lot. I’ll buy you lunch,” she offered dully. She glanced back at Soojung. “You coming to eat?”

Soojung flushed. “Oh, I uh… have something I need to do.”

Eunmi shrugged, and left the classroom along with Baekhyun. He was giving her mischievous looks the whole way to the cafeteria, and Eunmi glared at him. She couldn’t help but feel like he was laughing at her in some way. After the third cheeky smile, she finally turned around and frowned at him.

“Yah. Why are you laughing at me?”

Baekhyun shrugged with a smile. “No reason.”

“I did something stupid while I was drunk, right? What did I do?” Eunmi demanded. She suddenly remembered the post-it she’d found on her forehead that morning. “And what was all that nonsense about a villain? I can’t remember most of last night beyond you piggy-backing me home.”

“Oh? That’s a pity,” Baekhyun replied as they joined the line for food. “I guess you’ll never find out, then.”

“Fine. Keep snickering to yourself,” Eunmi replied stubbornly. “There’s probably nothing, you’re just trying to get me worked up by making me think I said something embarrassing.” 

“Hmm. That depends. Is there anything embarrassing you’re hiding from me?”

“No,” Eunmi said simply. She fished her wallet out of her bag and handed it to him, with a sigh. As annoying as Baekhyun was, he had hauled her drunk back to her apartment and gotten her home safely. “I said I’ll buy you lunch, right? Get me a tray too. I’ll go find a good table.”

Baekhyun grinned and took her wallet from her, heading over to get them both trays of food. Eunmi weaved her way through the crowded lunch area, looking for an empty table that she could save. She spotted one and headed for it quickly, barely noticing that another person was headed in the opposite direction and that she was about to crash into him.

“Whoa!”

Eunmi whirled around as the person bumped into her, and the tray he was carrying in his hands wobbled dangerously. Her hand darted out to grab the can of cola that had come tumbling off the tray and she swiftly caught it before it crashed to the floor. She smiled triumphantly to herself.

“Nice catch,” the guy said with a laugh, as Eunmi put it back on his tray. She blinked up at him. He looked extremely familiar, and her eyes widened.

“Oh! Aren’t you the bassist from Baekhyun’s band?” Eunmi asked eagerly. 

Kai blinked and nodded, looking surprised. “Oh, yeah. You’re Eunmi, right? Baekhyun’s friend? You came to our gig at the bar last night. You got totally wasted.”

Oh, sheesh. He saw that? “Yeah…” Eunmi trailed off awkwardly. 

“It’s okay, you were cute,” Kai said with a laugh. He was extremely attractive, and his eyes scrunched up in a really cute way when he smiled. Eunmi could only gape at his good looks. “But a word of advice- you really shouldn’t drink so much if you’re going to flirt around. Your boyfriend might get jealous. I know I would.”

Eunmi blinked. “Boyfriend?” 

Kai nodded sheepishly. “Ah… I asked Baekhyun to introduce me to you, but he said you had a boyfriend. Sorry if it’s none of my business.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Eunmi replied bluntly. “Baekhyun told me you were dating a model.”

“A model? I wish!” 

Eunmi folded her arms across her chest, slightly annoyed. Why had Baekhyun lied to her? How could he not say anything when such an attractive guy was showing interest in her? Kai suddenly looked uncomfortable and gave her an awkward bow.

“Ah… I should go. I’ll see you around, Eunmi-ssi.”

He hurried away quickly, and Eunmi turned around to see that Baekhyun was approaching her, a tray in each hand. He had his eyes narrowed. “Yah! It takes you this long to find a table? There’s one over there, let’s go,” he insisted.

She followed him to the table and sat down opposite him, grabbing her tray and taking the wallet that Baekhyun returned to her. She gave him a dirty look and stuffed it into her bag. 

“I’m regretting paying for your lunch now,” she told him bluntly.

Baekhyun blinked. “What did I do?”

“You lied to me last night! You told me Kai had a girlfriend when he was actually interested in me!” Eunmi whined. Her arms folded across her chest and she huffed. “Do you know how long it’s been since an attractive guy showed interest in me? A long time. I can’t even remember.” 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “You’re better off. He’s a player.” 

“That’s standard drama-material,” Eunmi pointed out, resting her chin on her hand. “The nicest love stories are the ones where an average but warm-hearted girl melts the stone-cold, but startlingly handsome player.”  

“Stop watching dramas,” Baekhyun grumbled, stuffing a spoonful of food into . “Besides. You told me I’m not allowed to get a girlfriend last night. If that’s the case, you’re not allowed to get a boyfriend either. I’m putting my foot down.”

Eunmi promptly flushed red. “What nonsense. Why would I care if you got a girlfriend?”

“You wouldn’t?” Baekhyun challenged.

“Of course not.”

“Okay. Then I’m going to confess to that girl from my Chemistry class today,” he replied coolly. He twirled his plastic spoon lightly in between his fingers. “She blushes whenever I talk to her, so I’m thinking she’ll say yes. She’s my type, too. Cute, shy, kind of innocent. I can see it working out long-term.”

Eunmi glared at him for a moment. It shouldn’t bother her, but somehow it did. Since when did Baekhyun like simpering cute girls? Her lips pursed together tightly and she gripped her chopsticks tightly between her fingers and clacked them a couple of time. “Good for you,” she forced herself to say. “Tell me how it goes later.”

Baekhyun smiled lightly. “I will.”

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“Really? He’s confessing to some girl?” Soojung wondered lightly, as they left their last class of the day. Eunmi had been in a bad mood ever since lunch and even her footsteps were a little heavier than usual. “That’s good, I guess. Baekhyun is a really nice and funny guy. He seems like he would make a good boyfriend.”

Eunmi rolled her eyes. “He’s a pain. He’s going to get rejected, just wait and see.”

“Do you want him to get rejected?” Soojung wondered.

“Don’t be silly. I don’t care what happens,” Eunmi replied firmly. She shifted her bag on her shoulders. “How are things with Chanyeol? Are you two in love, yet?”

Soojung flushed. “He… sometimes walks me home after my shift at the bakery, if it gets late,” she muttered. “I keep telling him he doesn’t need to but he says it’s not safe. It’s actually kind of sweet. I didn’t expect it from him considering how cold he usually is.”

“Hmm.” Eunmi nodded. “Looks like his good side is coming out.”

Soojung nodded. “He’s not that bad. I’m headed to my shift at the bakery right now.”

“I’ll come with you,” Eunmi offered. She let out a deep sigh. “Maybe more of those fruit candies will perk my mood up.”

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Eunmi pouted as she saw the empty rack. “Excuse me, ma’am?” she called out hesitantly, to the middle-aged woman who often worked at the bakery along with Soojung. The woman gave her the huge smile that she reserved for her best customers.

“Yes, dear?”

“You know those little bags of mixed fruit candies that are usually here…?” Eunmi trailed off.

The woman blinked apologetically. “Ah! Those. I’m so sorry, dear, we’re all sold out. We’ll get more stock tomorrow, though! They seem to be quite popular these days, don’t they?”

Eunmi forced a polite smile and then went over to an empty table to sit down. Why was today such a miserable day? Baekhyun lying to her about Kai, then suddenly going off to confess to some random girl, and now Eunmi’s favorite candies were sold out. She dropped her bag on an empty chair and put her head down, letting out a long sigh. “I hate my life,” she grumbled quietly.

There was nobody to even hear her sorrows.

She pitied herself for a short while, until she saw Baekhyun approaching through the bakery’s glass windows. All of a sudden, her heart started beating faster. . Baekhyun was here. Had he confessed to the girl? Had she said yes? The bright smile on his face suddenly make Eunmi feel horrified and she wondered what she would do if, from tomorrow onwards, Baekhyun started bringing his sickeningly cute girlfriend to the bakery in the evenings.

No. Why would he do that? He would just find somewhere else to go with his girlfriend, and Eunmi would be left alone.

“Hey,” Baekhyun said cheerfully, plopping down into the seat opposite her. “You’ll never guess what-“

“Congratulations,” Eunmi cut him off bitterly. “She must have said yes, right?”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“That girl from your Chemistry class. You look happy, she must have said yes,” Eunmi pointed out. Suddenly, an unfamiliar feeling started boiling up inside of her and her hands started trembling a little. What was this? Anger? Jealousy? She wasn’t sure. “You shouldn’t come and meet me here if you’re dating her. She might get jealous. I wouldn’t like my boyfriend hanging around with other girls in cheesy places like this.”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? I’m not going to stop meeting with you.”

“I’d rather you did,” Eunmi said suddenly. She stood up, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She gave him a scathing look, while her voice trembled. “Actually, let’s just stop this here. I don’t really feel like talking to you anymore.”

“Where are you- yah!” he called out, as Eunmi rushed out of the bakery at lightning speed.

The hell is wrong with this girl?

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“Chanyeol kissed me today.”

Eunmi was sitting on the sofa, her eyes staring blankly at the television. In her lap was a large bowl of popcorn that sat almost untouched. She’d made it for herself, but had started feeling so nauseous that she couldn’t eat any of it. The music program on television was introducing some hit new boyband and Eunmi glared at them blankly. She couldn’t bring herself to care.

“What?” Eunmi asked dully.

“Chanyeol kissed me,” Soojung said a little dreamily. She sat down next to Eunmi on the couch and poked her shoulder. “Yah. Aren’t you listening? Haven’t you been campaigning for me and him to get together since forever?”

Eunmi bit her lip. She’d been feeling on edge all evening and she turned and looked at her best friend. “Soojung-ah, I think I’m losing my mind.”

Soojung blinked. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I haven’t been able to do anything. I tried studying, but I felt so restless that I had to give up. I can’t even eat, I feel nauseous.” She gestured towards the television, where EXO was performing. “Even gorgeous men dancing seductively on stage hasn’t been able to calm me down. I feel like I’m going to throw something if anyone dares to rub me the wrong way right now.”

Soojung backed away slightly. “Okay…”

“I feel like… I feel like screaming.”

“Did something happen?” Soojung asked.

“I don’t know. I just keep picturing Baekhyun’s pretty face and I want to punch it, over and over and over again. Until he dies. And then I’ll strangle that cute girl from his Chemistry class until her face is purple and bury them together so they can live happily ever after in the afterlife.”

Soojung sighed. “You talk a lot.”

“What does that mean?”

“I mean, you make a lot of big talk and pretend to be all cool but the reality is, you don’t even have the guts to admit that you like Baekhyun,” Soojung replied simply. She folded her arms across her chest and looked down at her. “Gosh, it’s like watching a drama.”

“A drama?”

“Yeah. You know. The childhood best friends that are madly in love with each other, but somehow they take a painfully long time to admit it, and you feel like slapping them because they’re so oblivious.”

Eunmi stared at her. “You’re wrong.”

“Am I? So you’re not simply sitting here and sulking because you’re jealous that Baekhyun wants to confess to someone else?” Soojung wondered. “You realize he didn’t even do it, right?”

Eunmi felt her heart freeze. “He didn’t confess?” 

“Nope. You made a scene and ran out of the bakery without even listening to him. Why would he confess to someone else? He’s crazy about you. Chanyeol says Baekhyun’s liked you for a really long time. Sometimes, we sit together and laugh about how cute and drama-like you two are.”

“We do that about you guys!” Eunmi protested, pointing a finger at her friend.

Soojung chuckled. “Really?”

 Eunmi nodded, feeling a little blank. “You… you really think Baekhyun has feelings for me?”

Soojung tossed Eunmi’s handbag at her. “My drama just ended a few minutes ago,” she said simply. “Time for you to go get your ending. Don’t drag it on, please? It’s been long enough.”

Eunmi took the handbag and stood up, but she froze. What was she supposed to do? Go up to Baekhyun and say oh, I didn’t realize I liked you until you decided to confess to someone else and then I nearly lost my mental stability? Her cheeks flushed pink at the thought and she sat down again. She couldn’t confess to him. She just couldn’t. Even if there was the chance that he liked her back, it was too embarrassing. She buried her face in her hands and groaned loudly.

There was a knock at the front door.

“Yah! Eunmi, open up!” Baekhyun’s voice sounded loudly.

Eunmi panicked. “Tell him I’m not here,” she insisted, before running into her bedroom. She shut the door behind her quickly and then crossed over to the other side of the bed, crouching on the floor in the small gap between the bed and the dressing table. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and shut her eyes, listening intently.

“Eunmi- talk to her-“ she heard Baekhyun’s voice faintly. Soojung said something in response.

There was the sound of footsteps approaching the door and Eunmi squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her heartbeat pound. Someone opened her bedroom door. She heard Baekhyun let out a sigh and he sounded annoyed. “Are you hiding right now?” he called out. “Yah, how old are you?”

Eunmi stayed silent as Baekhyun walked around the bed and spotted her squeezed in the tiny gap. He laughed and moved closer, holding his hand out to help her up. “You should at least hide better. Come on, get up.”

“Don’t want to,” she mumbled.

“You have to.” He grabbed one of her hands, tugging her out of the gap and pulling her onto her feet. Eunmi’s face was red and she avoided eye contact with him. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. “Why are you acting so shy all of a sudden? Are you seriously going to be this way? I don’t like shy, blushing girls for your information.”

Eunmi glared at him. “Then get lost, you -“

“That’s more like it,” he said with a laugh. He suddenly pulled Eunmi closer, wrapping her in her arms. She froze in shock as her face met with his chest and he nuzzled his cheek against her hair gently. “You’re a really jealous person, aren’t you? I never realized this about you. It’s okay. I think slightly obsessive girls are fine.”

Eunmi squirmed in his grasp. “I’m not obsessive-“

“You didn’t storm out of the bakery and tell me to stop talking to you because you thought I confessed to another girl?” he pressed.

“That’s not why-“

“Then why did you storm out?”

Eunmi was silent. She had no answer, and Baekhyun’s arms still wrapped around her were making her heartbeat thud. She wriggled in his grasp again, but he held her firmly. “I don’t know- I just-“ she sighed and bit her lip. “You know why, or you wouldn’t be doing this.”

Baekhyun grinned. “I know. I want you to say it.”

“I won’t,” Eunmi challenged.

“Won’t you?”

“Nope.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. Eunmi was shocked for a few seconds, but as his lips slowly moved over hers and his arms slid down to her waist, she felt her heartbeat racing. Baekhyun’s lips were soft and his embrace warm. Without realizing it, she was kissing him back, pressing her lips against his eagerly and wrapping her arms around his neck. Baekhyun smiled into the kiss. “Will you say it now?” he whispered lightly, pulling away from her to place a kiss on her jawline.

Eunmi flushed. “No.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Wow, you’re stubborn. I’m having second thoughts about this. Maybe I should have gone after the girl from Chemistry class after all-“

“Don’t you dare.” She pointed a finger at his chest. “I’ll sabotage-“

“-my relationship, I know,” Baekhyun said with a grin. He let out a mock sigh. “Well, you leave me with no choice. I really want a girlfriend. Since you’re saying you won’t let me be happy with anyone else, I’ll have to settle for you as my girlfriend.”

Eunmi pouted and pushed him away. “When did you become so mean?” she whined.

Baekhyun laughed. “It’s your fault! I had a perfect confession prepared but you didn’t let me go through with it. I even brought you these,” he said. There was a box lying near the entrance to the door, and Baekhyun released her for a second to go and fetch it. It was about the length of his arm and wrapped in pretty pink wrapping paper. “Go ahead, open it.”

Eunmi hesitated. “A gift?”

“Christmas is coming up. It was going to be a present and I was going to confess then, but…”

Eunmi blinked and slowly removed the wrapping paper from the box before opening it. It was sealed quite tightly and she had to rip off the tape before the lid came open. fell open.

Inside, were hundreds of tiny, red cherry fruit candies.

“Oh my God,” she mumbled.

Baekhyun grinned. “You like? I bought all the mixed fruit packets and then picked out the cherry ones. It took me a whole week, you know,” he added with a pout. “Also, I have these huge bundles of strawberry, watermelon and mango ones at home that are probably going to go uneaten…”

Eunmi laughed. It was so silly, but she suddenly felt tears coming to her eyes. Baekhyun knew her so well. Why had she been looking for love in all the wrong places, when he was right here? She sniffed slightly and rubbed away a tear with the back of her hand.

“Whoa, are you crying?” Baekhyun asked, panicked. “It’s stupid, right? I know it’s stupid. I should have just gone with the necklace like Chanyeol said, it was way more romantic-“

Eunmi shook her head, before quickly throwing her arms around Baekhyun’s neck and silencing him. “It’s so sweet and romantic, I don’t know whether to cry or cringe,” she mumbled against his shoulder. “Baekhyun-ah…”

Baekhyun smiled. “Hmm?”

She hesitated. “Oh god, I still can’t say it. It’s too embarrassing. I feel like you’ll laugh at me.”

“I’ll say it, then,” he said finally. He leaned down to peck her lips again, giving her a cheeky smile. “Eunmi-ah, I love you. Stop looking for dramas in other places, okay?”

Eunmi smiled and nodded. “Got it.”

He chuckled. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Hmm?”

“If you even talk to Kai…”

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