“I want you to meet my friends.”

Aerin, Onew, and Jinki were sitting together at lunch. Ever since their trip to the cake shop, Aerin and Jinki have slowly been growing closer. Jinki had learned so much about Aerin over the past few months. He mostly learned about why Onew existed. Onew was Aerin’s imaginary friend that she talked to a lot. She had suffered from a lot of trauma and he seemed to be her only source of happiness. Jinki was determined to become a source of happiness for her as well. He didn't question her relationship with Onew, but he did want to help her build new ones. Although he was worried asking her to meet his friends was a step too far. It had taken weeks for him to get this close to her and he knew she wasn't good with people. However, with spring in the air, he wanted to try and expand her social circle even just a little bit.

“I don't know I…” Aerin was clearly torn. She looked over to the seat next to her. Jinki assumed Onew had said something to her. He was used to this by now. She often had side conversations with Onew when she was trying to make decisions. “What if I freeze like last time?...I’m not good around groups.” She looked back up at him with fear written all over her face.

Jinki reached across the table and took her hands “I won’t make you do something you don't want to do. I just want you to think about it, okay?” She nodded and Jinki noticed her cheeks turning red. Was she blushing? So cute. “Meanwhile, let’s head to our--”

“Jinki-hyung!”

The pair looked over and saw a guy running over to them. Jinki immediately recognized Jonghyun and cursed him for being so loud. Aerin quickly pulled away from him and sat with her back pressed against the chair. Jinki could tell she was scared and wanted nothing more than to tell her that everything was going to be okay. He glared at Jonghyun “What?”

“No need to give me such a scary look. I just wanted to see if you had the math work.”

“Shouldn't you have your own work?”

Well see…” Jonghyun looked over at Aerin “Oh, is this the girl you've been hanging out with lately? Why didn't you introduce us? I thought we were friends.”Aerin sunk down in her seat like a turtle retreating into its shell. “Jjong can you please give us some privacy? I’ll help you later.”

“Aww but I really want to meet the girl that stole our Jinki-hyung away.” Jonghyun smiled “We really miss our hyung because of you. You’ll bring him back to us one day, right?”

Aerin didn't speak. Instead, she simply grabbed her backpack and hurriedly left the dining hall. Jinki figured something like that would happen. She was like a little bird that had been frightened by a loud noise. Jonghyun tilted his head “What did I do?”

Jinki rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag as well “I’ll talk you about this later.” He headed outside, looking around to see if Aerin was still somewhere in sight. He spotted her sitting on a bench in the courtyard. It was under a tree that shaded her which probably made her feel safe. He went over and sat down next to her. He wanted to apologize, but he thought it’d be best to give her time to collect herself.

A few minutes of silence passed before she spoke “I’m sorry I ran away.”

Jinki looked at her surprised “What? No, you don't have to be sorry. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me on behalf of Jonghyun. He can be a little energetic, for lack of a better term.”

“But didn't I embarrass you?”

“Of course not. You didn't feel comfortable, so you left. That’s not a bad thing.”

Aerin felt a hand on hers and saw Onew sitting on her other side. He was dressed in a light shade of pink “He’s not wrong. You shouldn't be in situations that make you uncomfortable.”

“But I can't be afraid of people forever.”

Her friend poked her nose “You’re not. You just have to take things one step at a time, like you did with him.”

He was talking about Jinki. Aerin had been terrified of getting close to him and she was still a bit distant since meeting him three months ago. Progress was slow, but Onew was right: going slow was safe. She took a breath and looked back at Jinki “Thank you for not being mad at me.”

He scoffed and pinched her cheek “How could I be mad at someone with this face?”

“Stop it,” she laughed, swatting his hand away.

“There, that's the smile I like to see.” Jinki stood and stretched and checked his watch “It’s almost time for our next class. Should we go?”

Aerin nodded as she pulled her backpack onto her shoulder and stood as well. She looked back at Onew “Are you coming?”

There was a bit of indecision on his face before he got up and followed them “Of course, what would you do without me?”

Aerin couldn't concentrate. There was somebody distracting her. His name was Hongbin and he sat in front of her in math class. He was a really handsome boy who was popular with the girls and guys. He was smart, he was an Instagram model, and he could take a photograph better than most professionals. He had transferred from a school in California and had been attending her school for the past two years. Aerin had a huge crush on him to say the least.

“Why are you staring at him like that?”

Aerin looked at Onew who was sitting next to her. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. She whispered to him “He’s really handsome and he’s so cool.”

“So cool,” Onew repeated, sarcasm dripping from his lips. “Cool guys are usually bad guys.”

Aerin shook her head “No way, he’s different than the other popular guys.” Where other guys were only nice to pretty girls, Hongbin was nice to everyone. He treated everyone like a friend. She had never actually experienced it, but that was the word around school. Not to mention his sweet smile just made it more believable. Aerin stared until said boy made eye contact with her. She quickly looked away and turned back to Onew “He looked at me! Oh my gosh, he must think I’m a weirdo or something.”

The bunny boy rolled his eyes “I’m sure he didn't notice you at all.”

“Why are you being so mean today?”

“I’m not being mean; I’m trying to protect you.”

Aerin took her friend's hand “Don't worry. He's different.”

2:37am.

Jinki wakes up when he hears his phone ding. He groans and rolls over and picks it up off the night stand. Who was texting him so late? He squints when the phone light hits his eyes. He's going to kill the person that thought waking him from sleep with a text was okay. His eyes finally adjust and he sees the message on the screen:

CUTE AERIN: I’m sorry for texting you late like this. I just had a bad dream and Onew is sleep and he gets angry when I wake him. But you said I could text you whenever, so is this okay?

Jinki clutches his chest just thinking about how adorable she is. He wonders how long it had taken her just to summon the courage to send him a message. He knows she wouldn't do anything like this without thinking for a long time. He wants her to feel more comfortable with him and he thinks he's making progress, but he has his doubts. Regardless, he knows he should respond. She said she wanted to go slow, so he wouldn't rush her.

JINKI: It’s fine. I was up late working on a project anyway. Are you okay? Your dream didn't scare you too much, did it?

CUTE AERIN: No, it was just a little sad. I dreamt about something that I wish I could forget.

Jinki always had that feeling when it came to Aerin: a feeling that there were a lot of things she wanted to forget. She had told him some things, but none of them really seemed significant enough to completely turn her away from people. He wants to ask what had been the turning point, but he doesn't want to pry or make her relive painful memories.

JINKI: Can I ask what it was about? You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to.

CUTE AERIN: This guy that I had a crush on in high school. I thought he really liked me, but it turned out to be a prank. I guess I shouldn't have expected much. I should've known better than to think he would be interested in me.

JINKI: You shouldn't think about other guys.

CUTE AERIN: Huh? Why?

JINKI: Because I’ll get jealous.

Jinki stares at his phone. He shouldn't have sent that. He should not have sent that text. He knew he shouldn't be so bold when it comes to his feelings for Aerin. He didn't want to rush her and he certainly didn't want her to read that the wrong way. He was pretty sure she had no clue that he liked her more than she liked him. He’d hinted at it when he poked her nose or patted her head, but she didn't seem to read those actions as flirty. If anything, she probably thought he was just being nice. He had never come out and just said that he liked her.

Aerin stared at her phone, reading Jinki's message over and over again. Why would he be jealous if she talked about other guys? She didn't understand. She shook Onew, who was asleep on the floor. The bunny boy groaned and rolled over. She shook him again and he swatted at her hand “Leave me alone.”

“But this is important!”

Her friend gave an audible sigh as he rolled back over and glared up at her “Somebody better be dying.”

“Not exactly. I'm just confused by this text that Jinki sent me,” she held her phone in front of his face.

Onew scanned the conversation with squinting eyes that slowly widened when he got to the bottom. He looked up at Aerin then back at the last text.

“Well what does he mean?”

Onew looked back and forth at her and the text again before sighing “I think he’s flirting with you.”

Aerin stared him in surprise. Jinki flirting with her? There was no way that was happening. “You’re crazy, he’s not flirting with me. He doesn't even like me like that.”

“Yes he does. Anyone with eyes can see that. He spends time with you whenever he can, he calls you cute and he pokes your nose when he does it, and he always taking care of you.”

“But you're with me all the time, you poke my nose, and you take care of me too. Does that mean you like me too?”

“I don't call you cute,” Onew deadpanned.

“Rude.” Aerin looked back down at her phone “Do you really think he likes me?”

“It seems like it, but be careful. Remember what happened last time you got your hopes up?”

Yes, she remembered. She remembers all too clearly being invited to that party and having all her hopes destroyed.

Aerin looked around as they entered the party. There was a lot of people and loud music blasting. It wasn't really her style, but it was okay because she was with him. Hongbin had asked her to be his date to a party with all the popular kids. She had been a little surprised at first but she accepted immediately. Hongbin had just came up to her and started talking about how he had noticed her and how he was too shy to talk to her. Hongbin too shy to talk to her! It had given her all kinds of warm feelings. She had told him she liked him too and they started hanging out together. Now it was three weeks later, and they were out together for everybody to see. Hongbin went off to go greet some of his friends and told her to wait for him. Aerin had wanted to go with him, but he insisted that she wait until he was ready to introduce her. She decided to do as she was told and waited by the punch bowl.

“I think we should go home.”

Aerin looked over at Onew. He had come along too, despite them not having spoken in a while. He didn't approve of her relationship with Hongbin and made sure she knew it. She couldn't handle any more of his negativity so she had just stopped talking to him. He was supposed to be her friend and he couldn't even be happy for her. She had finally found love and he was bashing her for it. “Will you stop it?” she whispered harshly. “I’m finally happy. Why can't you be happy for me?”

“Because you're not seeing things clearly! Don't you think it's kinda weird how he suddenly says he likes you after not having spoken to you before?! Or since he claimed he liked you, he hasn't taken you on a real date until tonight? Or maybe how he still barely speaks to you even though he says he likes you? Did you think of any of that?”

Aerin crossed her arms over her chest “He’s shy is all. He said that's why he couldn't talk to me before. And he couldn't take me on a date because he’s busy. He has a part-time job and he plays basketball too. And he has other friends at school so he can't talk to me all the time.”

“That's another thing,” Onew continued his rant “his friends don't even know you exist!”

“Hongbin said it was because some of his friends aren't as nice as him, so he has to wait for the right time.” Aerin trusted Hongbin. She knew he would be a good boyfriend, they just needed to spend some more time together.

“You have got to be kidding me. You have nothing but excuses for him!”

“They're not excuses!” Aerin turned away from “You’re just jealous because I’m not spending as much time with you.”

Onew scoffed “That's what you think this is? Seriously? Fine. Enjoy the party.” With that, he was gone.

Aerin felt bad for arguing with him like that, but she just wanted his support. She didn't think she was asking too much since they were supposed to be friends. She understood that he was just looking out for her, but he was wrong about Hongbin. She would prove it, Onew would apologize, and then they could go back to being friends.

Aerin checked her phone for the time. Two hours had passed since they had arrived and she was still standing by the punch bowl. Hongbin hadn't come back or called her over. She wondered if she should go look for him, but she didn't want him to be mad at her for not listening. He liked her though. So he would forgive her if she just told him she was worried about him. She began walking around the party to see if she could find him somewhere. She wondered if he had forgotten about her or maybe he went off with someone else. No, Hongbin wouldn't do that. He was nice and he had brought her with him. It was probably just a mistake. She spotted him not too far ahead, talking with a group of girls. Aerin went over and tapped his shoulder so she wouldn't startle him “Uh Hongbin-oppa, I was waiting for you.”

“Huh?” He turned around and faced her, his smile falling from his face “Oh I forgot you were here.”

“I know. I was going to wait like you asked, but you didn't come back so I came to look for you. Are we going to meet your friends?”

“Yeah, you came just in time.” He held out his arm for her to take “I want you to meet everyone and I’ll make our big announcement.”

Aerin nodded enthusiastically and took his arm. She hoped Onew was watching because she had been right. Hongbin was going to announce their relationship to everyone. Maybe he would even kiss her too. She had only seen things like that on tv, but it always looked romantic. Besides, having her first kiss with the boy she liked would be a dream come true. She followed Hongbin to the center of the dance floor and he called for the music to stop.

“I have someone I want you all to meet.” He motioned to Aerin “I brought this special girl to our party tonight. I want you all to see how special she really is.” He signaled to someone on the side and a large projector screen descended from the ceiling.

A video? She didn't remember him taking any videos or pictures of her. Maybe he did it when she wasn't looking? This really was like the movies! She watched as her face appeared on the screen. It was the day that she and Onew were sitting outside. They had been talking about what they were going to do after school. However, Onew didn't appear on the screen. It looked like she wasn't talking to anyone, like she was talking to air. She could hear the other guests starting to whisper about what was being shown.

“She's crazy.”

“Why is she talking to herself?”

“Maybe she's on drugs.”

The video was an entire montage of conversations she had had with Onew, but he wasn't there. She looked over at Hongbin and whispered “C-Can we go now? I don't think they like me very much.”

“Of course they don't like you!” Hongbin laughed “You’re a weirdo that has full blown conversations with herself!”

Aerin's eyes widened. Why would Hongbin say something like that? Didn't he like her? They were dating, weren't they? She looked around worriedly and then back at Hongbin “I can explain, just not right now. I’ll tell you later, okay?”

“No way! Wouldn't it be better if you ‘explained’ to everyone? I think we all want to hear this!”

Aerin was wringing her hands; she didn't know what to do. Maybe it would be better if she explained things then Hongbin wouldn't think she was strange. Then everyone would apologize and become friends with her and Onew. “Uhh I-I”

“Talk louder! Everyone needs to hear you!”

“I wasn't talking to myself. My friend Onew was there with me. We talk all the time; he’s my friend. He even came with me here.”

“Then where is he? Huh? Your so-called friend?”

“H-he’s--” Aerin looked around, but couldn't spot her friend anywhere in the crowd. He really was gone.

Hongbin scoffed “He’s not even real! So you're crazy and you have imaginary friends! What a weirdo! This is why no one likes you!”

No one? “But you said--”

“I said what you wanted to hear. You're such an easy target. No one wants to be friends with you, let alone date you. Gross.”

Gross. That word echoed in Aerin's head as she ran out of the party. She could still hear the mocking laughter of all her classmates and the guy she thought actually liked her.

When she got home, Aerin slammed her door and tore off the dress she'd been wearing. It had been a gift from Hongbin and now it just felt disgusting against her skin. Onew had been right. She should have listened to him and she didn't. She was stupid enough to trust some guy she barely knew rather than her best friend of seven years. She had been an idiot and now she was an idiot alone. She changed into her pajamas and sat on her bed. Why had she been so stupid? Why didn't she just listen to Onew and avoided all of this? She just wanted a normal life. She just wanted to be like the other girls and she turned away the one person who wanted to help her. A tear rolled down her face as she thought of Onew. He probably wouldn't want to talk to her again after all she had said to him. If she had felt lonely before, she really felt alone now. She lay down on the bed and drew her blankets up to her chin. She closed her eyes and hoped that Onew would come back and forgive her.

“Hey, stop crying,” a warm hand brushed the tears off of her face.

Aerin looked up at her best friend “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for not listening to you. You were right and I should have known better. I should've known a guy like Hongbin would never like me.”

Onew shook his head “A guy like Hongbin doesn't deserve you; you're better than him.”

Aerin wasn't sure if that was true, but it didn't matter. Onew was back by her side and she didn't need anyone else. She would never trust anyone again.

It had been almost twenty minutes since Jinki sent his last message. He wondered if she had went back to sleep. Or maybe he had been too forward in his response to her. He wanted to make sure he didn't scare her off, but he also wanted to begin making it clear how he felt about Aerin. She had grown on him over the past few months and they were similar in a lot of ways: they both liked sweets, they both preferred being home to going out, and they both found it hard to trust others. The defining difference between them: he still had a little faith in people. That was mostly due to his friends and their support and he wanted to do his best to restore Aerin's faith in people. He wanted her to trust him enough so she wouldn't need an imaginary friend anymore. He wanted her to be able to rely on him. Jinki liked Aerin, he liked her lot.

Ding!

CUTE AERIN: Should I only look at you then?

JINKI: I think you should do what makes you happy.

CUTE AERIN: Ah, it's getting late. You don't mind if I continue to look at you then, right?

Jinki could feel his face turning red. Had she always been this flirty? Maybe she was being flirty without knowing it. That made more sense. Aerin often did cute things without even knowing it, so he assumed this was the same. He clutched his phone to his chest and took a breath, she was going to be the death of him.

JINKI: I would like that.

CUTE AERIN: Good. I really should go back to sleep now.

JINKI: Are you feeling better?

CUTE AERIN: Yes, all thanks to you. Thank you for being my friend.

JINKI: Anytime. Good night, Aerin.

Aerin groans when she hears loud voices coming from outside her room. She doesn’t recognize them and wonders why they chose to fuss outside of her door.

“Gwiboon, we have to knock.”

Gwiboon? Aerin feels likes she’s heard that name before. Then she remembers that Jinki mentioned that name once. She was one of the girls in his friend group; she was Jonghyun’s girlfriend.

“For what? We can just go in with the key card.”

“Breaking into rooms is not what the RA key card is for.”

“Taeyeon, it’s not breaking in if Jinki asked us to go in.”

Taeyeon, that was the other girl from the group. She was the one that had burned popcorn in Jinki’s apartment one time. Speaking of which, why are they talking about him outside her door?

“He asked us to talk to her, not go into her room without permission.”

Talk to me? Why would he send them to talk to her? Couldn’t he have just come here himself? She climbs off her bed and shakes Onew who was sleeping on the floor. He groans and swats her hand away. She thinks about shaking him more forcefully, but remembers how she woke him during the night. She can’t be mad at him for wanting to sleep.

“Ugh fine,” Aerin hears Gwiboon’s voice again followed by a knock on her door.

Aerin freezes. What is she supposed to do now? She could stay quiet and they might go away. Although Gwiboon didn’t seem like the type to give up easily. Not to mention she said they had the RA key which unlocked all the doors in the dorm. The redhead looks toward the window and wonders if she can climb out.

“She’s not answering,” Taeyeon says. “We should just come back later.”

“I’m going in.”

Aerin runs to the closet and shuts it as the door clicks open. She holds her breath as the girls walk around her room, Gwiboon making comments about everything and Taeyeon reminding her they shouldn’t be in here at all. Aerin cracks the closet door just enough to peek out of it. One girl is short with long blonde hair and soft brown eyes. She’s extremely pretty with her soft cheeks and full lips. The other girl is pretty too, but in a different way. She has sharp eyes and a cat-shaped mouth. Her hair is shorter and is brown with rainbow highlights. She looks kind of intimidating.

“I don’t think she’s here,” the blonde says. “Maybe we should just go.” Aerin assumes this is Taeyeon, so the fierce-looking girl must be Gwiboon. Somehow, they’re voices match their looks. Taeyeon’s voice is soft and sweet while Gwiboon’s has a little bit of an edge to it.

“Aww but I wanted to meet Jinki’s girlfriend.”

Girlfriend?! Aerin gasped before slapping a hand over .

“Did you hear that?” The brunette walks over to the closet and yanks the doors open “There you are!”

Aerin looks up in shock. She’s not sure what she’s more surprised about: being found in the closet or being called Jinki’s girlfriend.

After an hour of convincing, Aerin is sitting in the coffee shop with Gwiboon and Taeyeon. Jinki had clearly been serious about wanting them to get acquainted. He had apparently sent them since he had to go help his parents in the bakery. Aerin wishes he’d given her a bit of warning beforehand. Although she probably would have ran away before they had even gotten there. Luckily, Onew had woken up during the commotion and followed along with them to the coffee shop. Aerin feels better with him next to her.

“Sorry for breaking into your room,” Taeyeon shoots a look at Gwiboon.

“What? I’m not apologizing. We found her, didn’t we? I was just doing what Jinki asked,” Gwiboon flipped her bangs. “Anyway, so have things been made official between you and bunny boy?”

“Bunny boy?” Aerin tilts her head. Is that what his friends call him? She looks over at Onew who was doubled over in laughter. “What are you laughing for?”

“Because it’s so accurate,” Onew says between laughs.

“You look more like a bunny than he does though.”

Her friend’s laughter stops immediately and he sticks his tongue out at her “Rude.”

“Aerin,” Taeyeon calls softly and the redhead remembers she and Onew aren’t alone.

“Sorry,” Aerin apologizes. They probably thinks she’s weird now. If they’re like everyone else, they can’t see Onew and just thinks she’s crazy.

“No worries,” Taeyeon smiles. “So how are things with Jinki? You two spend a lot of time together.”

Gwiboon nods “And he talks about you all the time.”

Aerin blushed a bright cherry red. Was that true? Did he really talk about her? She’s trying not to get her hopes up, but the thought of Jinki talking about her makes her happy. “Jinki is just my friend.” She had never thought about them being anything beyond that. They just happened to get along well and he reminded her of Onew. Besides, Jinki had never indicated that he liked her. At least she didn’t think he did.

You shouldn't think about other guys...Because I’ll get jealous.

Aerin’s cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. She had forgotten that he’d said that to her. Did that mean he likde her? “Uhh...he did tell me not to think about other guys. Does that mean anything?”

Gwiboon and Taeyeon let out a synchronized gasp. “That means a lot!” Gwiboon clapped. “He only wants you to think about him. Oh he totally has a crush on you.”

“Mhm,” Taeyeon agreed. “Not to mention, he was holding your hand in the dining hall the other day.”

Aerin’s eyes widen when she realizes what Taeyeon is talking about. The split second Jinki held her hand before Jonghyun interrupted. “But he was just trying to make me feel better, I don’t think it meant anything.”

“Tsk tsk,” Gwiboon wagged her finger. “Anytime a guy does anything for a girl, it means something.”

“You know, I haven’t seen Jinki this interested in a girl since Sunyoung.”

Onew’s ears perk up and so does Aerin. Who was Sunyoung? Jinki had never mentioned her. In fact, now that she thinks about it, she doesn’t know much about Jinki’s past relationships. At least not the ones he’s had with girls. Granted she had never asked and she hadn’t exactly told him about Hongbin either. “Who’s Sunyoung?”

Taeyeon bites her lip as if she doesn’t want to say anything. She looks at Gwiboon who doesn’t seem to want to say anything either. Was it really that big of a secret?

“Maybe it’s something they can’t tell without his permission?” Onew offers. Aerin nods, she understands that. She wouldn’t want Onew going off and telling all her secrets to everyone. However, she thought Jinki was her friend. She figured they could talk about anything. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

Taeyeon shook her head “No, it’s not that. It’s just that Sunyoung is a dark shadow over Jinki’s life. I don’t know if it’s really something you want to hear.”

“We might as well tell her,” Gwiboon crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s bound to find out anyway.”

Jinki stood at the bridge patiently waiting for her, flowers in one hand and the other in his pocket. He could feel the small velvet box clasped in his fingers. This was the day that he had been waiting for. They had been high school sweethearts and now he was ready to take the next step with her. He was excited. He had planned the perfect date to make this the perfect day. Meet her in the park, take her to their favorite restaurant, and then take her to the pier where he would finally ask her to be his forever.

There she was, Park Sunyoung. She wore a pale pink dress perfect for spring and her black hair flowed in the wind. She was as beautiful as the day he had met her four years ago. To most people she was like any other girl, but she meant the world to Jinki. She had been his first kiss, first girlfriend, and first love. She had given him a chance when other girls wouldn’t even look at him. He wanted her to know just how much he loved her.

Sunyoung gently touched his hand when she reached him. He smiled and held out the flowers to her “I bought you these. I made sure the florist gave me the freshest lilies they had since they’re your favorite. I have an amazing day planned for us. We’re going to all our favorite places and we’re going to do lots of fun things.” He beamed proudly at Sunyoung who didn’t return his smile. In fact, she looked sad. “Luna, is something wrong?” ‘Luna’ was his nickname for her. He always thought her skin glowed like the moon so he thought it was fitting.

“Jinki-oppa, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?” he asked. His hands were beginning to shake. He was starting to wonder if he had done something wrong.

“I can’t be with you anymore.” Sunyoung sighed “I mean, I like you, but we’ve only dated each other. I want to see what else is out there.”

Jinki blinked. He didn’t understand. He thought that Sunyoung was in love with him and they were going to be happy together. “Don’t you l-love me?” his voice cracked.

“How can I know if I really love you if I’ve never experienced anything else? You understand, don’t you?”

Jinki’s heart imploded in on itself. He couldn’t breathe. Why was this happening? What had he done to deserve something like this?

“I just need some time and we’ll see what happens,” Sunyoung touched his face.

Just some more time? Was that all? So he just had to wait a little while before he could marry her? He gave a small smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes “Okay.” He would wait. It wouldn’t be long until they were together. Luna would love him again.

Gwiboon had been tearing a napkin into tiny pieces as she recounted what Jinki had told her. Just the thought of that story made her angry. “He had been waiting a year by the time we met him. He was so in love with her that he waited four years. Jinki refused to dare anyone for four years and she was just off having the time of her life.”

Taeyeon was drawing circles on the table with her finger “Every year that passed, he got more and more depressed. He wouldn’t even come out of his room sometimes. We finally got him to cheer up and start dating again, but he never gets past the first date.” She looked up at Aerin “So imagine our surprise when he starts spending all his time with you. This is the happiest we’ve seen him in a really long time.”

Aerin is speechless. She had never thought someone as bubbly as Jinki had ever gone through something so terrible. She looks at Onew who seems just as surprised as she is. “He never showed that he had ever been unhappy.”

“Jinki is really good at hiding his feelings,” Gwiboon says flatly. She looks up at Aerin with a look that causes the other girl to flinch “Do you like him?”

“I-I” Aerin’s not a hundred percent sure how to answer that question. Taeyeon and Onew are looking at her expectantly as well. What is she supposed to say? She does like Jinki. This is the closest she’s felt to anyone since Hongbin. However, she isn’t sure how he feels about her and she doesn’t want a broken heart either. Although, if what Taeyeon and Gwiboon told her is true, Jinki would never put someone through the pain he went through. She took a breath “I like him.”

“Of course you do,” Onew grinned. The fact that he wasn’t frowning was a sign of his approval.

Taeyeon reaches across the table and places her hands on Aerin’s “Please take good care of him.”

Gwiboon laughs and pinches Taeyeon’s cheek “Don’t be so dramatic. Look at her! There’s no way she could break Jinki’s heart. She’s too afraid of me to do that.”

Taeyeon rolls her eyes “Everyone’s afraid of you.”

“What was that, brat?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Taeyeon puts up her hands in defense as Aerin laughs.

“Uh huh,” Gwiboon stands and stretches “We should get going. Aerin, you wanna come shopping with us?”

Shopping? Like normal friends? Was this actually happening? She looks at Onew who smiles back at her and nods “They’re trustworthy. You should go.”

Aerin smiles and looks back at Gwiboon “I’d like that.”

“Then let’s go.” The girls gather their things and head out of the coffee shop. As they’re leaving, Aerin notices a girl coming in. She’s a pretty girl with long black hair and skin that almost seemed to glow. There’s something about that girl that draws Aerin to her, but she’s not sure why. The redhead doesn’t have time to think about it since she hears Gwiboon calling for her. Aerin shakes her head, deciding it’s probably nothing.

A/N: Happy New Year! I hope this you enjoyed part 2! Last part will be coming soon. Thank you as always for your support. Until next chaapter subscribe, comment, etc.

-씨에라