Okay, so i kind of made a prologue so this is not a new chapter, check chapter 1 for the prologue hehet. ps, thank you innisfree for the 360 video ilysm thank you for making my dream come true hehet

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Have you ever felt like your ears were going to bleed while listening to someone say the same thing for the gazillionth time? The kind of feeling where you can easily recite what the other is saying the same time he does? That is the exact feeling Yoon Jinri felt as she stared at her best friend, Kim Jaehwan, who was blabbering about how he wants his future to be like.

“One day, I will be a famous star who makes girls fall in love because of my handsome face and my very awesome and y voice si—”

“Oh my god ew Ja—”

Jinri was immediately cut off, Jaehwan covering with his bare hands as his eyes sent daggers straight to her. He shushed her and wiped his hand on his shirt, as if disgusted of the thing he just did. Jinri scoffed and rolled her eyes, finding this action amusing and a little offensive, but she knew that Jaehwan meant no harm. It was his way of endearment, he’s the kind of person who cannot express his feelings properly. Or at least that’s what Jinri likes to think in order to stop herself from pulling all the hair on this guy’s head because he can be a total pain in the sometimes.

Beside her, Hwang Minhyun, who was too busy ‘reading’ his newspaper, just shook his head in amusement. This kind of scenario is normal for the three of them, and he knows that whenever Jaehwan started this kind of monologue, no one is ever allowed to in and ruin it for him. No one. What Jaehwan wants, Jaehwan gets. It’s as simple as that.

Jinri grimaced and continued to stare at her best friend who’s blinded by his daydreaming and decided to just let him finish. The talk about Jaehwan’s future is a one-way street; it wasn’t a conversation, it was more of a monologue. He liked it better when Jinri and Minhyun just listen and give their comments at the end.

“— and you, Jinri, will fall in love with me. So hard you’re going weak on the knees. I will shake it off like it’s nothing and ask you to pretend that it didn’t happen. Everything will still be the same as before but really, things won’t be the same. I’ll feel awkward with you around knowing that you have feelings for me and that you might just jump on me when given the chance, kis—”

Of all the things that Jinri learned in the university, being able to shut her ears from Jaehwan’s endless blabbers was the best and most useful one. Throughout the whole time, she was looking at Jaehwan with an expression that one cannot decipher, she looked like she wanted to slap him hard and hug him afterwards while saying ‘there, there.’ Jaehwan’s words went in and out of her ears without her mind fully understanding what he was really saying. The only thing she got from his monologue was: “Wow, Jae. You really want to get rid of me that bad, huh?”

Minhyun nudged Jinri and laughed, folding his newspaper into two before rolling it into a tube. “Nice one, Jin.”

Jaehwan faked a dramatic gasp while staring at Jinri in disbelief. “How many times am I supposed to remind you that it is rude to interrupt people when they’re talking?” His stare then turned into a glare, but instead of feeling neither threatened nor intimidated, Jinri laughed. Jaehwan’s glare was never scary. “As I was saying,” he cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that he does every time he tries to regain his confidence. Jaehwan held his head high, once again falling into the lair called his future. “One day, the world will know how great Kim Jaehwan is, and girls would line up just so they could shake my hand and get an autograph. You,” Jaehwan pointed at Jinri, to which she responded an eye roll, “will be at the end of the line, and when it’s your turn, I would shrug you off and say ‘I’m tired, let’s do this next time’ and you will be dev— WHAT THE HELL MINHYUN!”

After hitting Jaehwan’s head with his rolled newspaper, Minhyun then proceeded to patting his back with it afterwards. “Stop daydreaming, Jaehwan.” The latter was rubbing his head while chanting some words the two couldn’t catch. Teasing Jaehwan like this has been a past time for both Minhyun and Jinri while waiting for their next class to start. “You, of all people know that even if you’re the only man alive after a zombie apocalypse or whatnot, Jinri would rather stay celibate and let the human race get extinct than end up with you.”

Jinri felt proud of her friend, giving Minhyun a gentle pat on the back as she chanted ‘good job, good job’. She knew that when it comes to teasing Jaehwan, Minhyun always got her back. The latter knows when it’s time to wake Jaehwan up from his daydreaming since he might go too far. Whenever Jaehwan starts his monologue about his future, it always involves Jinri falling madly in love with him because he got super famous and because most of the girls in South Korea want him. Listening to it never fails to amuse both Jinri and Minhyun, even though she was grimacing on the outside, feigning disgust and irritation because teasing Jaehwan was fun. She doesn’t know how his mind works, but damn, this boy is hella creative. Every time he talks about his future, the part where Jinri falls in love with him is a different scenario than the one he told them before. This time, he was able to make a story about a high-touch event, and the one before that, he was talking about Jinri staying outside his apartment, waiting for him to get home from his schedules.

Jaehwan made a face as he took the roll of newspaper from Minhyun and started hitting him on the head instead. “I know, I know! Don’t you know how to take a joke, you killjoy!”

Jinri laughed as she watched her two best friends bickering. Sometimes, she can’t help but feel like she’s babysitting a bunch of third-graders fighting over whose sandwich taste the best. A day would never pass without Jaehwan and Minhyun bickering, and her just watching on the side, laughing (and sometimes joining the chaos). Being friends with these boys was not part of the plan when she entered the university, she never imagined meeting people as crazy as the two, but it did turn out that way. Hell, she’s really happy that it did turn out that way.

Jinri and Jaehwan happened to take the same degree program. Both of them are majoring in Broadcast Communication. Jinri wanted to be a famous drama scriptwriter in the future, while Jaehwan on the other hand, wanted to be a famous singer, or an idol, and he figured that maybe taking up this degree program might help him understand the industry before he dives into it. The two had most classes together during the first semester of their first year (freshmen were given fixed schedules so they were kind of stuck with each other for one semester). Jaehwan sat beside Jinri during their second period because he remembered Jinri as the awkward girl who introduced herself weirdly in the previous class. He thought Jinri needed someone like him to survive in the university, and ever since, he sat beside her and stuck to her like gum. At first, Jinri found Jaehwan annoying, but eventually, they did become good friends. He’s still annoying, but Jinri’s used to it and figured that Jaehwan loves to annoy the people he wants to keep close. It’s his way of expressing.

Minhyun, on the other hand, is Jaehwan’s roommate. The two boys live in the dormitory provided by the university, and since the management decides who gets to be roommates, these two had no choice but to get along. Maybe, they really were meant to be put together because the two boys, even after a lot of bickering and arguing, do click in a really weird way that only they can understand.

Being the friendly person that he is, Jaehwan introduced Minhyun to Jinri (it was an excuse since Jaehwan forgot that he agreed to meet Minhyun for dinner on the same day he agreed to meet Jinri for their project). Jinri can still remember how awkward Minhyun was the first time she met him. It was as if it was his first time eating with a girl. Even though Minhyun was as awkward as hell, Jaehwan never forgot to invite him during lunch and whenever they were free. Jaehwan is a firm believer of the saying “the more, the merrier”.

Even though the three of them spend their free period together, Minhyun and Jinri were awkward around each other. Whenever Jaehwan goes to the comfort room or to the cafeteria to buy some choco pie, Minhyun and Jinri would steal awkward glances at each other, not knowing what to say in order to break the silence. That kind of awkwardness remained until the night Jinri and Jaehwan got so drunk after partying. Minhyun was the only sober one, and how he was able to sneak in two drunk idiots in the building is still a mystery to the three of them. Jinri started to feel sick. Minhyun took care of Jinri throughout the night: holding her hair as she puked in the bathroom of their dorm room, hugging her tightly, trying to comfort her as she wailed like a baby because of something she can’t remember, completely ignoring Jaehwan who looked comfortable on the floor, hugging his shoe tightly.

Ever since that night, the awkwardness between Jinri and Minhyun went away, and the three of them were the best of friends. Even though Minhyun does not take the same degree program as the two (he’s a Journalism major), the three always make sure to take minor subjects and lunch period together so they could meet up and catch up with whatever’s happening with their lives (and since they know that Jinri does not like to eat alone).

“Alright, alright! Time!” Minhyun bit his lower lip as he took the roll of newspaper from Jaehwan. “No more hitting, my newspaper’s getting all wrinkly. And besides, you know that our friend here would never fall for a guy like you in a thousand— no, a million lifetimes.” Minhyun said with so much conviction, as if it was an established fact. In response, Jaehwan made a face while mumbling ‘meanhyun, meanhyun’. “Jinri only has her eyes for that guy who she can’t even say hi to.”

Feeling the sudden attack directed at her, Jinri took the newspaper from Minhyun’s hand and hit him on the arm with it. “Why are you attacking me all of a sudden? And yes, I know that and you don’t have to tell me that I can’t even say hi to him every single day of my existence.”

Of all the things that Jinri doesn’t want to talk about, a certain topic always resurfaces out of the blue, and Minhyun is always the one who brings it up. Talking about how she doesn’t have the guts to say hi to the guy she likes makes her more frustrated than she already is.

There’s a boy in campus who stands out among the whole student population. A certain guy whose name you can’t forget, a name that you would never hear twice. Ong Seongwoo, a third year Fine Arts student who is known for his unique surname. Besides his family, he has never met anyone with the same surname. When someone says the name Ong Seongwoo, they immediately know who that Ong Seongwoo is.

The thing is, Yoon Jinri likes Ong Seongwoo. A lot. She liked how pretty his eyes get whenever he smiles (even when he doesn’t, his eyes shine the brightest), how his laugh sounded like music to her ears, and how the three moles on his left cheek looked like a constellation, the prettiest one she’s ever seen. Whenever she thinks of Ong Seongwoo, her heart goes crazy, her cheeks turn crimson, and her lips curve into a smile— the kind of smile that only Ong Seongwoo causes.

Yoon Jinri likes Ong Seongwoo. A lot. She liked how pretty his cheeks were whenever they were smudged with paint every time he draws around the university, and how his whole existence screams perfection.

Yoon Jinri likes Ong Seongwoo. She knows that what she’s feeling isn’t love. How can she fall in love with someone who she hasn’t talked to yet? How can she fall in love with someone she’s only seen from afar? Liking Ong Seongwoo is one thing, however, falling in love with him is a different story. She doesn’t want to fall in love. Liking Ong Seongwoo gives her this fluttering feeling in her stomach, makes her feel giddy and happy and she wants to keep it that way. To Jinri, all that is enough. Liking Ong Seongwoo from a far is more than enough.

It’s not that Jinri was allergic to Ong Seongwoo. She has her fair share of things that girls who like a boy do. Jaehwan became Jinri’s official Peppero delivery boy last Peppero Day since he shared the same History class. When Seongwoo received the peppero from Jaehwan, he asked ‘is it from that girl?’ and with ‘that girl’, Seongwoo was referring to Jinri. Ong Seongwoo knows that a certain girl named Yoon Jinri exists and has a little crush on him.

How could he not know when Jinri is friends with two dorks who never fails to make her existence known whenever Seongwoo is around. Jinri’s two good friends always make sure that whenever the said boy passes by, they continuously shout the words ‘Yoon Jinri, Broadcast Communication class of 20xx’ and afterwards, say hello to Seongwoo as if they didn’t make a fool of their selves (Jaehwan is kind of friends with Seongwoo because of History, and since Jaehwan is really friendly, he found a way to introduce his roommate to Seongwoo).

Amidst the chaos that Jinri likes to call her ‘friends’, she once caught Seongwoo laughing silently to his self after seeing the girl desperately trying to hide behind her two dork friends. Why he laughed is still a mystery to Jinri, however, she was able to formulate four theories:
a) he was embarrassed;
b) annoyed;
c) he really thinks Jinri is funny, she just doesn’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing; or
d) he thinks Jinri’s cute (this last option is obviously not the answer, Jinri just wanted to make herself feel a little better so she could sleep that night, at which she failed)

Even with all that ‘help’ from her very helpful friends, Jinri still couldn’t find the confidence to say hi. Every time she sees Seongwoo, she comes up with different scenarios that can happen if she did say hi to him:
a) he’d say hi to her as well;
b) he’d bow and just pass by awkwardly; or
c) he’ll ignore her whole existence and she will end up being that girl who tried to say hi to Ong Seongwoo but failed miserably

And by the time she was actually able to decide whether she'd do it or not, Seongwoo's already gone.

Whenever Seongwoo gets near, the little amount of confidence that Jinri was able to gather just disappears. She always ends up hiding behind Minhyun and Jaehwan, who always laugh at her misery, making her little crush more obvious than it already is.

“Why don’t you just say hi to him?” Minhyun said, pulling Jinri out from her train of thoughts. Blinking, she looked at Minhyun. “He’s in our department anyways. I see him in our building almost everyday.”

Jinri let out a sigh. She never told anyone the real reason why she never tried to say hi to Ong Seongwoo. It was her little secret, it’s up to the guys to make their own assumptions. “I can’t just say hi to him whenever he passes by since he’s always with his friends who and me a lot, thanks to a certain someone.” Jinri’s eyes were slowly directed towards Jaehwan who was busy grooving to a song he was singing, completely absorbed into his own world. When he saw how Jinri was looking at him, he raised an eyebrow in total confusion and mouthed the word ‘what?’. In response, Jinri just rolled her eyes and placed both her hands inside her hoodie’s pocket.

Jaehwan is friends with Seongwoo’s friends, Dongho and Jonghyun (yep, he’s that friendly), and these two guys know about how Jinri likes Seongwoo. Being the talkative guy that he is, he once mentioned to the two, who he shared PE class with last year, that his friend kind of likes their friend. To Jinri, it seemed like Jaehwan is too talkative for the common good (not only for his own good but also for hers and Minhyun’s as well). What made matters worse is the fact that Jinri had to be in the same Biology class as Dongho, and during that whole semester, he sat beside her. Jinri and Dongho weren’t even friends in the first place, he just sat beside her since she was the only familiar face (they were enrolled in a Biology class filled with a group of freshmen, and they belong to the few upperclassmen who took that class). Dongho might look scary on the outside (that’s why Jinri was hesitant when he first sat beside her), but turns into an actual fluff ball after some time. He gave Jinri a special nickname, ‘the girl who likes Ong’, and she became his source of paper and pen throughout the whole semester.

“And you chickened out like a little , Jinri.” Jaehwan stated in a matter-of-factly tone as he sat beside Minhyun on the table. He gave Jinri a meaningful look, and she knew what he meant instantly. What Jaehwan said is true though, and she cannot blame him for thinking that way. Jaehwan took out a water bottle from his backpack, glancing at Jinri as he removed the cap. “Seriously, I don’t know why it’s hard for you to do that. Seongwoo’s a nice guy. He never ignored me every time I said hi to him.”

“It’s because your presence is hard to ignore.” Jinri said in a tone mirroring Jaehwan’s before. She already knows that these guys would never understand her reason that’s why she chose to keep it to her self. “I’d know you’re here even if I’m a hundred meters away from you because you are so noisy.” Jaehwan grimaced in response but didn’t say a word after.

The three were silent after that. Minhyun was busy with his newspaper, Jinri fixing her bag, getting ready to leave their usual spot since it’s almost class time, and Jaehwan, well. He was just staring at nothing in particular, thinking about what he’s going to eat for dinner. A few moments later, his blank expression slowly turned into a sly one, glancing at Jinri and then at the three guys he knew Jinri would be happy to see.

Minhyun looked up and saw Jaehwan’s face. Curious, he followed the gaze of the latter, and shook his head in amusement. “Speaking of the devil.”

Jinri stood up from her seat and followed Minhyun’s gaze. There, she saw Dongho, Jonghyun, and of course, Ong Seongwoo. He still looked as perfect as Jinri remembered; his disheveled hair, his eyes, his smile, and even with his all black ensemble: black v-neck shirt, black ripped jeans and his favorite black bag, he still looked shining in her eyes. He’s getting closer, Jinri thought. And the closer he got, the more nervous she gets.

“Dongho hyung!” Jaehwan stood up on the table, waving at the trio until he was able to grab their attention. “Seongwoo hyung! Jonghyun hyung!”

Dongho was the first one who noticed the boy. He smiled and waved at him before averting his gaze to the girl who looked frozen on her spot. Dongho shook his head in amusement.

Seongwoo smiled and waved back at Jaehwan. At the same time, Jinri was staring at him, contemplating whether she’d smile or run away.

Minhyun stood beside her and gave her a light nudge. “Here’s your chance, say hi.”

Jinri glanced at Minhyun for a moment, and when she looked back at Seongwoo, their eyes met. She’s sure that she isn’t imagining things, Seongwoo is definitely looking at her. He was looking at her, eyebrows raised, as if he’s waiting for something.

Should I say hi? No? Hi? No? Hi Seongwoo? Bye Seongwoo? Jinri’s mind was a mess, even though it didn’t show.

Being the chicken that she is, she held her bag, took one last look at Seongwoo, turned around, and left, leaving the four boys (Minhyun, Jaehwan, Jonghyun and Dongho) dumbfounded. Once again, Jaehwan didn’t fail to make her little crush obvious.

“Dude what the actual—” Jaehwan muttered to his self as he waved at the three guys across the lawn before jumping off of the table to follow his friend. Minhyun followed him, shaking his head in amusement as he watched Jinri walk away.

“I’m going to kill you in your sleep, Kim Jaehwan.” Jinri said as soon as Jaehwan caught up.

In response, Jaehwan laughed. “Bite me, you chicken.”