Friday afternoons are reserved for Daehwi and Chaeeun time. After school every Friday, the two visit various cafes or restaurants together. This week is no different. The ending bell rang and the two, separated by different homerooms, met up outside the building at their usual bench.

“I see him over there,” Chaeeun spotted the boy by himself, waiting, and waved goodbye to her friends. She ran over the boy and smiled, “Hwihwi!”

“Chaeeun! What took you so long?” he playfully frowned, poking her cheek.

Chaeeun swatted his hand away and held onto it, "Get over it! Let's go. I decided on the perfect place to go today."

Calling them best friends would be an understatement. Labeled as Cheongdam High School's 'class inseparatables', the two have known each other since literal diapers. 

Walking side by side, each with one earbud in connected to Daehwi's phone, they made their way to a new cafe that opened up not too far away from school. Currently playing was the demo for Daehwi's new song. He started writing it a couple of months ago in preparation for an audition. Chaeeun nodded her head to the beat, a proud smile plastered across her face.

"Oh, Lee Daehwi!" she exclaimed, looking at him, "This is really good! I'm sure they'll love the song."

"You really think so? This will be the fourth time I send a song to Brand New Music," his face quickly dropped at the thought of his previous failures.

Chaeeun threw her arm around his slumped shoulders, squeezing his body, "Then Brand New is missing out. You're a super, super, super talented kid. I don't know who wouldn't want you! Did you send that picture I took and edited of you for your profile? You didn't did you? Ah, they probably thought you were too ugly to be part of the company."

"Ya-" Daehwi slipped his arm between their bodies and locked in a choke hold, "How can you call me when you look like that?"

Their relationship was always like that. One minute they're sweet and sincere, the next they're at each other's necks with insults.

"Ok, but in all honesty, do you think I'll get in this time? I'm really confident going in with this song, but I don't want to get my hopes up, you know?" he sighed softly.

Since they were younger, there has always been a guitar in Daehwi's hand and a pencil in Chaeeun's. Music was Daehwi forte while art was Chaeeun's. Daehwi wanted to join the entertainment company, Brand New Music, as a song writer or music producer. He's been sending demos to them all year to no avail.

"Even if you ate all my fries, I'd still find you the most talented kid I know. I don't know how else to say it to make you believe me. You're so incredibly talented I think the rest of the world is just deaf or has no taste in music," Chaeeun responded sincerely.

Daehwi returned a satisfied smile, "Ok, today is my treat!"

"Wait. Then I wanna go get kbbq."

"I'm too poor for that, Chae. After I sign with Brand New, I'll buy you a lifetime supply of meat. How's that?"

Chaeeun chuckled at his promise and nodded, "Sounds like a deal." 

--

A week passed since Daehwi turned in his latest demo. Chaeeun was trapped in the art studio way past school years in attempt to finish her portfolio. She had been sending work to various galleries in hopes someone would notice her, but her results were the same as Daehwi.

Another thing that brought them close was their multiple failures experienced together. Whether it be in love, on an exam, or an audition, if Daehwi failed, Chaeeun failed. If Chaeeun failed, Daehwi failed. It was sad at first, but it ended up being sort of comical.

The door suddenly flung open with a high pitch screech, "Cho Chaeeun! We have been apart for over four hours and I am experiencing withdrawl symptoms." Daehwi dramatically flopped down next to Chaeeun, dropped a bag of snacks down on her lap.

His sudden intrusions used to startle her, especially since he only started doing so recently, but she got used to all his odd antics quickly.

Chaeeun put her brush down and reached into the back for a drink.

"How'd you get the brand of coffee milk I like so late at night? It's usually sold out after lunchtime," Chaeeun gasped, holding the carton of coffee milk close to her. 

Daehwi smirked. He was waiting for that question, "You know, I went to four different stores to find this for you!"

"You have nothing to do when I'm not around," Chaeeun shook her head, "Or you're just trying to guilt me into doing something for you-"

"Of course not! I saw that you've been working really hard and late lately so I thought I'd do a little something something for you!"

"Sounds suspicious, but I'll take it," she eyed him as she sipped on her drink, "Did Brand New decide to take you in? You seem awfully happy today."

"I confessed to someone today," Daehwi declared confidently.

Chaeeun's drink came spraying out of , all over Daehwi's silly grin, "What?"

Daehwi's face froze before wiping his face on Chae's sleeve, "That was very unneccessary considering the fact I was just kidding. But no, nothing from them yet."

"Whoops. I guess that's better than hearing them say no thanks again."

"Ok, my job is done. I brought you a late night snack along with your favorite drink. My mom wanted me home early tonight, but I ran away from home just to bring you this for working so hard. Goodnight!" Daehwi stood up and waved.

"Thanks, Hwihwi! I appreciate it. Tell Mama Lee I said hi and sorry for keeping you out so late!"

"Will do. Bye!" he closed the door behind him and the room was quiet once again.

Chaeeun sighed in response to the silence filling the air. She picked up her brush once again before dipping it into her paint palette. Right as her brush made contact with her canvas, the door flew open again. Her brush fell out of her hand, dragging a messy streak down the bottom of the white canvas.

"What-"

Daehwi ran to her, bumping into a couples of chairs on the way. "They want me! Brand New Music finally gave me an ok!" he exclaimed, his lips curled in a smile so wide, Chaeeun though his cheek would disappear.

"Oh my God, Daehwi! I knew it! I knew you could do it!"

Daehwi threw his arms around her smaller frame and jumped around in excitement.

"So now you're Lee Daehwi the composer? The producer?" 

His expression slightly changed and for the first time, Chaeeun couldn't read it. "Not exactly. They want me to be in an idol boy group. I'm joining Brand New as a trainee."

Although it didn't seem quite like his dream, it was definitely a step in that direction. 

"Good enough! You're going to be famous, Hwi. Don't forget me when you have millions of girls screaming your name," Chaeeun chuckled, tears of joy trickling down her cheek.

Daehwi rolled his eyes playfully, "Why are you crying? This is a good thing. How could I forget the girl that spent her entire life picking up after me?" he wipped her cheeks with both hands, "And remember. If I succeed, you succeed as well. A gallery is definitely going to be like, 'yo, Cho Chaeeun, we want your art here and now' soon."

"That's true. It's all uphill from here, right?" Chaeeun chuckled.

They both agreed that it was a happy moment, but something didn't feel right to Chaeeun and she could tell Daehwi felt it, too.

"We're going to be ok, right?" she thought to herself, a smile still masking her doubts.