"Hey."

My steps stop in front of her. "Hey."

"I thought you'd never come," Hanna says. She pats the space beside her on the bench, inviting me to sit, so I do.

"Why call me out here?"

She looks down and fiddles with her thumbs. It's a nervous habit of hers. Some things don't change, huh?

"I want to clear the air between us." Hanna lifts her head to look at me. "You've been avoiding me since the break-up. Junhoe..." She sighs. "I don't want it to be that way, okay? I feel like it's my fault."

It's not her fault. She's always like that, blaming herself for everything that happens wrong around her. Everything that she can't control, it's never her fault. I want to tell her that.

"Sorry for being a prick. I was just mad because you broke it off when I thought we had something special."

"And we did, that can't change. But you knew it before, right?" Her eyes lower again. "I'm not meant for... something serious yet."

I nod. "You want to focus on yourself first." She grows silent. "Don't worry. I already accepted that. If I didn't, I wouldn't meet you."

"Right, you'd do that," she says with a little laugh in her tone. I miss hearing her laugh. It sounds like bells you'd hear to someplace that feels like home.

Hanna's still playing with her hand even when I think she's getting comfortable. I always held her hand when she did this so maybe it's second nature when I reach out. Hanna looks at me, quite surprised. I don't say anything because I feel like I'll ruin it with pointless words.

I miss the warmth of her hand, the warmth in her voice, the warmth in her eyes. I miss everything about her. Of course, I miss her. I'll always do. But a period can never be a comma if two hearts don't want to be together anymore. The ending page is already stamped in our story. There's nothing else to do but accept our fate.

"Be happy and stop worrying about me."

"Junhoe..."

"This is me telling you I'm letting go. Hanna, thanks for the wonderful memories."

Her surprise changes into a smile. It's a sight that's beautiful and painful at the same time, because I know it's the last I'll see it. "I love you and I will always do."

I return her smile despite me struggling not to show how much it hurts. "It's the same for me."

If Hanna reached out months ago, I would've said, 'go to hell.' The old Junhoe thought it was too unfair for her to look okay when all it did was break me in pieces. After the heartache stopped, I realized a lot of things.

No matter how much I try to forget about her, it will never happen. How can you forget someone who was once important? She's the reason why I was happy. Why would I erase her from my memory?

It still hurts, to be honest. What we had was something great. It's right, what they say. There will always be someone who will change you. I played around in high school, thought it was the best thing to do in life, but she came and it hasn't been the same ever since.

I thought she was the one. Turns out I was the only one thinking that way. Maybe some things had to happen because it wasn't meant for me yet. Maybe I was destined for far greater things. Whatever it is, I'm ready.

Moving on cannot be done in a day. Maybe not in a span of months, a year, or maybe even never. The love I have for her will not be gone because she will always be a part of me. However, there are things that shouldn't be pursued anymore. It's time for another chapter to begin, for wounds to heal. And that time for me has come.

-🌸-

I wipe another tear that escapes my eye. This is stupid. I have a class in ten minutes but I'm here inside a cubicle, crying like a stupid idiot.

"Chaeyoung," I hear Jennie unnie sigh from the other side. "Open the door."

"Please go to class, unnie. You too, Jisoo unnie."

"How can we do that when you're like this?"

"I – I'll be fine. It's normal." I sniff. "I just... I don't want you to see me crying. I look ugly right now."

"Chaeyoung..."

Someone bangs on the door. I know it's not Jennie because even if she can nail the image of a badass unnie, she's a sweetheart, at least compared to Jisoo anyway.

"If you don't come out of there, I'll bust this door open and when that happens, I'll make you pay for damages," Jisoo says.

"Unnie..."

"I'm serious."

"But—"

"You know she's serious, Chaeyoung. Don't challenge her."

I don't have much choice, do I? With a swipe of my hands, I wipe the trail of tears away. My eyes must look swollen now because it's stinging too much. With trembling hands, I slide the lock away from its place, creating a clicking noise. Before I can swing the door open, it's pushed in a flash. The next thing I know, Jennie's wrapping her arms around me. Maybe it's the warmth she's giving off that my eyes are watering again.

"Oh, Chaeyoung..." Jennie mutters while patting down my back. I catch Jisoo's worried look but it looks blurry through my watered sight.

I remember that scene again. Even if I can't explain it myself, the heart's acting like it knows. Right now, it's twisting in pain, like something's wringing it without remorse. Why does it hurt so bad?

"I – I don't know what's wrong with me. Why am I crying? I shouldn't... shouldn't cry. We're friends. He's a friend..."

Jennie's shushing me through my ramblings. Some girls are entering the restroom so she turns me away from them. I try to breathe in a normal rhythm. It's hard. I never want to cry in front of people because it's embarrassing. But I can't help it. If I tell myself don't cry, I'll cry more. Stupid me, right?

After a few minutes of me crying it out, I compose myself. With dabs of my fingers under my eyes, I say, "I don't like this. The last time I felt this was when I confessed to someone I liked. I know I don't like Junhoe that way. Why...?"

They exchange glances, speaking in looks only the two of them can understand. I'd ask about it but it's Jisoo that speaks up first. "Oh, but you like him, Chaeyoung. You always do."

-🌸-

It's a mess. For the nth time, I'm staring at the ceiling when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

I won't lie. Hanna pops up once in a while. It's normal, I guess, to wonder if she's happy or if she's eating well. But these days, it's not Hanna. It's Chaeyoung. Not once in a while, not even a passing thought, but all the time. That's the thing. She's all I can think about. Even when in the middle of a lecture or in random hours, it's always her.

It surprises me why it's Chaeyoung of all people. She's not my type. It takes the tiniest bit to trigger her to cry. She's also easy to fool. If I tell her I only have a few days to live, she'll believe me, hook, line, and sinker. During group meetings, she will not hesitate to do most of the work, if not, all of it.

Chaeyoung's uptight too. She makes me study and go to classes when it's clearly something I hate. She wants me to stop cursing too. If I'm around her and curse aloud, she'll give me a dirty look, like I cursed her ancestors or something.

She's a polar opposite of Hanna. Hanna is a strong, opinionated woman. Her stance is unchanging, even if facts tell her how wrong she is. It feels like fighting fire with fire every time. People don't give her on what she has to do because most of the times, she knows what to do. Sometimes, she made me think she didn't need me at all.

That's why she broke up with me. I'm not someone she needed yet. I knew, even from the get-go, she wanted to do and experience things, things that didn't include me.

I long accepted that. I'm healing. That's important. I thought healing is a process where I have to stay away from people though. Turns out it doesn't work like that. People can touch you in ways you aren't aware of.

Even if Chaeyoung's a crybaby, gullible, uptight, and hates my cursing, she made me feel something else. She cries a lot but it's because she sees the beauty in everything. She's gullible, that's a given, but she can be headstrong is she has to. She cares a lot, minds others' well-being more than herself. It drives me crazy sometimes. Who does that? But I like her, not just as a friend, not just a woman, but as a person. She just makes it easy for others to like her.

It's these thoughts that keep me awake at night.

I shift on the bed and stare at the blinking red of the digital clock. It hurts my eyes so I toss and turn around, hoping that finding the perfect position makes me sleep, but it doesn't.

A groan of frustration rumbles on my chest and I press the pillow close to my face. "Make me sleep, Chaeyoung. Damn it."

-🌸-

I have the same class as Junhoe today so I have to act like nothing's wrong. That's the bad thing. I can't pretend. No matter what I do, I at it. People can always look through me, down to my wall of defenses, and it's something I hate about me. Who am I kidding? I cry all the time, of course I'm a bundle of unstable emotions.

I should try my best to act normal. We're friends. Nothing should change, right?

Someone sits beside me. "Hey."

It's only one syllable but I know who's it from. The pleasant scent that fills my nostrils, the familiar warmth radiating from his body, it's him; Goo Junhoe. He's prompting me to speak but it's like I'm robbed of the ability to do that. Instead, I can only nod, stiffly, like a robot. I scoot away.

From the corner of my eye, I see his forehead wrinkling. "Is there something wrong?"

I shake my head.

"You sure? I mean, by this time, you would've congratulated me for not being late."

I stay silent.

"Chaeyoung..." He scoots closer. "Are you on your...?"

Gasping, I look at him with wide eyes. How dare he?

Junhoe's chuckling and I hate that I love how it sounds. It's reverberating deep from his throat, rough and manly, enough to make my silly heart race. I look away again. He shouldn't see how much I'm affected by this.

"I'm going crazy over here. Why are you like this?"

It's chaos inside my mind and heart. Only a few words from him is enough to turn me upside down. Please please please stop talking, Goo Junhoe.

"Come on, am I talking to a wall?"

I grit my teeth and fix my things. He has a girlfriend already. Why is he still talking to me? I don't want to be a cause of their stupid fights.

"The sunlight's too bright here," I mumble as I sling my bag on my shoulder. I move away from that row and pick one behind a wall. Junhoe's following me too. Why is he so persistent?

"Okay, you'll either avoid me for the rest of your life or you're gonna tell me what's wrong."

"I'd rather avoid you for the rest of my life," I grumble under my breath.

"What?"

"I said, I'd rather avoid you, Junhoe," I say with more conviction. Standing up and adjusting the strap of my bag, I add, "Please don't follow me."

I transfer to another row again, down to the very front. He doesn't follow but I can feel his gaze following me. I know I said he shouldn't follow me, but why do I want him to do the opposite?

Ugh. This is so confusing!

-🌸-

The guys are laughing about something stupid but I don't find it in me to do the same. Instead I continue eating my lunch in peace. It's only a matter of time before someone notices. Jinhwan hyung does. He's always the one who notices everything wrong.

Jinhwan nudges me with his elbow. "You're unusually quiet."

I shrug and munch another spoonful of rice.

"Something happened?"

"It's nothing."

"Hm. Usually when you say it's nothing, it means it's something."

Leaning back with a sigh, I tell him, "Chaeyoung's ignoring me."

There's an amused twinkle in his eyes. This is why I hate airing out my thoughts, especially when it's concerning a certain woman. They always find it amusing when I'm suffering like this.

"Miss Chaeyoung finally breaks you, huh?"

"Back off, hyung."

"She must be something else to get you concerned like this."

"You're not helping."

He shrugs. "Who says I'm helping?"

I roll my eyes. This is stupid. Then again, I'm the one more stupid for letting him know in the first place.

"Uh-oh," Yunhyeong utters loud enough to catch our attention. He scrolls through his phone, quite frustrated. As if his voice isn't enough, he taps the table and looks around. "Guys. Guys!"

Hanbin flinches and holds an arm in front of him like a shield. "Ah, hyung. Stop that."

But Yunhyeong ignores him and looks at me. "Junhoe, you should see this."

He sets his phone down and slides it to me. I stop it with one hand and pick it up. I click my tongue. If it isn't for my reflexes, it would've ended on the floor in pieces. He's always careless with things like this. It's not like it's phone either so why should I care?

Jinhwan and Donghyuk hover over my shoulders to see.

———

Lee Hyunwoo its a date ✌️✌️✌️

[attached screenshot]

Lee Hyunwoo, Park Chaeyoung
[PRIVATE MESSAGE]

Chaeyoung: Yesss. I love vanilla ice cream so much! It's my favorite flavor ❤️❤️❤️

Hyunwoo: same. love it with every fibre of my body

Hyunwoo: oh there's this ice cream parlour i know across the uni

Hyunwoo: wanna check it out later? i can take u there if u want to

Chaeyoung: Just the two of us?

Hyunwoo: if thats ok with u yeah

Hyunwoo: so is it a date?

Chaeyoung: It's fine with me ☺️

Hyunwoo: rEALLY?

Hyunwoo: i mean thats good i guess

Hyunwoo: pick u up after class

———

What the hell? This isn't the Chaeyoung I know. I mean, she's free to date whoever she wants, but why of all people does it have to be Lee Hyunwoo? That guy's infamous for a lot of things. Worst part, girls dig it.

Donghyuk clicks his tongue as he leans away. "It's Lee Hyunwoo, man. That's tough competition."

I don't realize I'm gripping the phone hard until Jinhwan gets it out of my grip. "Before you destroy Yunhyeong's phone..."

He passes it back to Yunhyeong who shows it to the other two beside him. Bobby whistles while Hanbin laughs like it's supposed to be amusing in the first place. It ing isn't.

"Oh, man!" Bobby cries out with clasped hands. "See, Junhoe? Someone did what you've been wanting to do in a second. You should take notes."

Hanbin shakes his head while mixing his ramen. "You shouldn't. Guy's a certified player. This is why nice guys finish last..."

"But Junhoe's not a nice guy," Yunhyeong buts in. "He's everything but a nice guy."

"I can be a nice guy."

Jinhwan snorts as if finding this conversation ridiculous. "Yeah, right. Chaeyoung's ignoring you and usually, it's because you did something wrong."

"I didn't," I say in defense. "That's the problem. I didn't."

Donghyuk shrugs. "Maybe she realized you're not a catch after all."

The other guys snicker.

I roll my eyes. "Whatever." Pushing my tray out of the way, I nod at Yunhyeong. "Did he say where they'll go?"

They throw me incredulous looks.

"What are you planning?" Jinhwan asks.

I clasp my hands together and smirk. "Who wants to go with me and ruin a date?"

-🌸-

Hyunwoo: so is it a date?

I bite my lip while looking at my phone. It keeps beeping in the middle of my lunch with the unnies at the cafeteria so I check it out, only to be surprised at Hyunwoo asking me out. He's a friend, someone in one of my classes, that's why I keep replying to his messages. I've always been unaware to men's intentions when they chat with me. It's only when the unnies point out they're flirting with me or when they ask me out that I become aware.

Jisoo unnie says I'm leading them on without me knowing, something she considers as endearing and frustrating for those people. Nowadays, I remind myself to be careful in order for that not to happen. But I don't know, sometimes I get too carried away that I forget. I want to be friendly, okay?

Jennie beside me notices I stopped eating so she asks what's wrong. I shake my head in response. "It's nothing. It's just... someone wants to take me to ice cream."

"Lemme see..." Disregarding her bowl of udon, Jisoo leans over and presses Jaehyun's icon, leading to his profile. She nods, pleased at what she's seeing. "He's handsome. He's a mechanical engineering student too. y..."

"Okay, if he's handsome and y, what's hindering you to say yes?" Jennie asks. "It's one harmless date."

"I don't know..."

"Is this about that guy?" Jennie waves me off. "Forget him. You don't have to fish in the ocean. They're practically jumping at every chance to land on your lap."

"This dating thing..." I place my phone down. "It's... I think I'm not ready yet."

"Or..." Jisoo drawls. "It's because you only want to date one man."

"A man who's not single, apparently," I grumble without thinking. When I realize what I said, I cover my mouth and shake my other hand in front of them. "T – That's not what I mean!"

They both exchange looks and giggle. "Alright, girl. We hear you," Jisoo teases.

I can't deny it, can I? I mean, they did catch me crying because of him.

"It's no use crying over spilled milk. For the love of me, go on the date! Use this man as your rebound." Jennie leans over, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Most of the time, a broken heart's band-aid is a steamy makeout session with a guy."

"Oh, Chaeyoung," Jisoo moans and cradles what seems to be a head in front of her, all the while mimicking kissing sounds. Embarrassed, I turn away. Some people are giving us weird looks!

"Unnie, stop that! It's disgusting." Jisoo doesn't stop and faces me while puckering her lips, leaning closer that I have to scoot towards Jennie with a giggle. "Unnie!"

Jennie moves me away with her arm. "Don't flirt in front of me, gosh."

Jisoo stops fooling around and sits back. "So in conclusion... Chaeyoung, you should go on a date. It'll do you good, makes you a little less crazy over a guy."

"Should I do this? I mean, I don't know what to reply..."

Both the unnies roll their eyes. "Say yes!"

"But—"

"Gimme your phone." Jisoo already snatches my phone before I can agree. Then she goes to type something I can't see because she keeps turning the screen away.

"Unnie..."

Jisoo shoves the phone back to me. "There. Done."

Just the thought of her handling it is enough to scare me. When I pick it up, I gasp in surprise. This is... "Unnie! You can't do that without my permission!"

Jennie leans close to see my phone. "What did she do?"

The culprit of my demise grins like she did the greatest thing in the world. "I got Chaeyoung a date."

"Oooh..." Turning to me, Jennie says, "Don't forget to mouthwash!"

"Unless he wants to test how the ice cream's sweeter on your mouth," Jisoo adds with a wink.

Oh my gosh. "Unnie!"

-🌸-

"Where did they go?" I mutter while wiping sweat on my forehead. I look around the alleys of shops along the sidewalk, hoping to see a familiar brunette in there. We already checked the ice cream parlour in front of the university but they're nowhere to be found. It's either they left, they went to someplace else or this is not the shop Hyunwoo's talking about at all.

"This is stupid, Junhoe. Maybe we should give up," Bobby says while leaning on a tree with crossed arms.

"No. The guy's a creep. He could be forcing Chaeyoung into something for all we know."

Jinhwan pats my shoulder. "Stop having a hyperactive imagination, okay? It's not good for your health."

Why did I drag these two in the first place? If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have asked. Bobby's here for his own amusement. Jinhwan's here to make sure I'll not do something stupid. The others bailed because they had better things to do, or so they say.

"I'm serious, hyung. You know what they say about that guy."

"Uh-hm. But I'm sure Chaeyoung's a smart woman. She will not let anything like that happen."

I snort. "She's clueless most of the times. I think you're not aware of what's at stake here."

Jinhwan throws his arms up. "Goodness. You're so defensive when it comes to her."

"Whatever." Shaking my head, I turn to them. "You all coming or I'll leave you here?"

They exchange glances. Bobby lifts himself off from leaning against the tree and waves. "I'm out." He would've walked back to where we came from if Jinhwan didn't grab his shirt and drag him with me.

"No one's going anywhere until we knock some sense into Junhoe!"

The hunt goes on until we saw all the stores around the block. I see Bobby's this close to complaining and Jinhwan forcing me to stop this madness. Didn't they know I'm unstoppable if I set my mind on it?

"This is ing stupid. If we find them, what are you going to do? Man, I could be sleeping now—"

"I'm – I'm so sorry!"

"—You're really stubborn. I shouldn't have come—"

I hold my hand up. "Stop. Stop talking."

Bobby glares at me. "What?"

"That sounds like Chaeyoung."

A grill restaurant is in front of us, a place we haven't checked yet because Bobby's complaining. The wide windows are opened so we can hear the commotion inside. We enter with my lead and wave a hand in front of me. It's warmer inside, also smells like grilled meat here. I'm getting hungry.

Surveying the surroundings, I spot what I'm looking for. The place is packed but I can recognize her even if she has her back turned to me. Right there, at a table closest to the wall, is Chaeyoung standing in front of Hyunwoo.

How the hell did they end up here? They only talked about ice cream!

Bobby whistles. "Man, that looks bad."

It does. Chaeyoung looks startled. A dripping shot glass is at the edge of the table, right in front of Hyunwoo. He picks it back up. There are soju bottles too. ... He's doing it again.

This guy's notorious for getting his dates drunk on purpose. It's why I'm against this in the first place. On an ordinary day, I would've let Chaeyoung date whoever she wants. I'm not someone who has a definite role in her life anyways. This is the least I can do.

Chaeyoung does a ninety-degree bow. "I'm really sorry! It was an accident!"

Hyunwoo's lips curl into a sneer. "Yeah, right. If you didn't want me to kiss you, you should've said so, stupid!" He picks up some tissues and wipes his pants. "Weren't you asking for it?"

What?

The shock on her face wears off. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You were asking for it. Isn't that why you keep chatting with me?"

Gritting my teeth, I take a step forward. The guys hold me back before I move another inch. This ... He's gonna get it. I'll make sure he'll get it. I'm going to beat him until he's black and blue, until he can't breathe anymore and no one can save him—

Chaeyoung slaps him across the cheek. We're surprised at this but it's her that looks surprised the most. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean that..."

This stupid girl. Why is she saying sorry when he deserves it?

There's a dangerous glint in Hyunwoo's eyes. The shock is still not wearing off with the guys so it's easy to break free from their hold. I go towards her before the crisis becomes bigger and grab her hand, whispering, "Run."

-🌸-

I'm too frozen to move. Never in my life would I expect I'd slap someone in the face. I don't want to hurt anybody... If I have the ability, I'd let the ground eat me alive. That'd be much better than this. Ah! Why do I have to do that? I'm doomed. I'm really, really doomed.

Before I can go sink deeper in this embarrassment, someone holds my hand, then a rough voice in my ear, saying, "Run." I don't have time to think how much that tickled me because the next thing I know, we're beelining out of the restaurant.

"Hey!" I hear Hyunwoo shout behind me. As soon as we leave the premises, he starts to run, forcing me to run too. This guy is familiar... is he Junhoe? He's crazy enough to wear black on a scorching weather like today. I know what his back looks like too. As if sensing my confusion, he half-turns his head to me, showing a hint of his grin. I stifle a gasp. It is Junhoe!

"Hey."

"Junhoe... How...?"

"Run now, explain later!"

Junhoe grips my hand tighter as we turn a corner, down to the opposite street of our university. The sidewalk becomes crowded with passing people but he leads me away from bumping into them like an expert. Does he do this often? I feel like he does.

My legs are sore and my lungs feel like giving up. That's my body saying I'm out of shape. I do go to gym from time to time but with the hectic schedule I have nowadays... I shake his hand a little. "When... are we... stopping?"

He looks around. I do too and notice we're in the city square near the university. Wow, there's a lot of people here today. Junhoe takes me in front of a pot-like concrete encasing a tree and sits. When I sit beside him, he lets go of my hand. Even though it's a sensible thing to do, the loss of contact leaves me empty.

We're panting too much, disabling us to speak. When we lock eyes though, we laugh like idiots. It's absurd, this whole deal with Hyunwoo, I mean. Why did we run? It's not like he's going to chase after us or something. Unless he was going to ask me to pay for the dinner I didn't ask for in the first place. He promised me ice cream! But he said he can't eat dessert without eating a meal...

"That's..." Junhoe massages his chest. "That's good, Chaeyoung. I would've punched him but what you did is better."

"Really? I mean... I slapped him after all."

"Eh. That prick deserves it."

I take a deep breath. My heart is pumping like crazy! This is the most exercise I had in a week. After composing myself, I ask what I've been curious about since earlier. "Why are you there by the way?"

His shoulders grow rigid, grips the end of the platform we're sitting at, and taps the edge with his sneakers in a rhythmic pattern. "The guys and I were planning to eat there, not until I heard that prick disrespecting you."

"I see..." I bite my lip and look down at my lap. "I'm sorry I had to ruin your lunch."

Junhoe's gaze burns with warmth I quite don't understand when he throws me a glance. "Don't apologize when it's not your fault." He nudges my thigh with his. "It's also not your fault when that guy's asking to be slapped. What happened anyway?"

"He uhm..." I gulp before proceeding. "He tried to kiss me."

"What?" There's an edge of anger in his tone.

Nodding, I continue, "Before I can push him away, I accidentally knocked down his glass of soju. He then went mad and went on this tirade of how I was asking for it and such. It was horrible and mean and I don't know what came over me so I – I slapped him."

"You did well." Junhoe raises his hand up. "High-five."

I giggle before clapping his hand.

"You okay? Hurt?"

"Good but also guilty. What if he comes back for me?"

"If he knows what's best for him, he will not do that." Junhoe shows me a smirk, one that's enough to make my heart flutter. For my heart's safety, I look away. "I have a feeling you'd kick him in the gut before he does."

"I'd probably freeze like an idiot."

"Then I'll beat him up myself. It'll be more satisfying."

"You scare me sometimes. Are you raised to be a gangster?"

"I'm serious. If he hurts you one more time, I'll break ten bones in his body."

It makes me speechless. There's certainty in his voice, an unwavering confidence behind it, making me believe he's not joking at all. I'm kind of scared, not because of Junhoe, but of Jaehyun's safety in his hands.

Junhoe stares at me with focused concentration. Does he know that when he looks at me like that, it makes me crazy, so crazy that I feel like my heart's bursting?

He elininates the distance I set between us, rolls his shirt hem around his right hand, and pulls me closer by holding me on my back.

"W – W – What are you doing?"

"You're disturbing to look at when you're sweating too much," Junhoe replies with a chuckle.

"What!"

How dare him... The insults die down on my throat when he starts wiping my face using his shirt. The movement hikes it up, revealing his sleeveless undershirt. It's drenched with sweat, clinging on his body like second skin. Looking closer, it's more transparent under the sun and it gives me a chance to see the things underneath it. He's not exactly ripped. More like, toned enough for defined lines to appear.

I remember Jennie once describing Junhoe's body in great detail because they go to the same gym. She said he took his shirt off because he was dripping with too much sweat and it annoyed him, then went mad on the bench presses.

"Chaeyoung, if you were there with me, I swear, you'll probably faint. He kept groaning after every reps! I mean, is that hot or is that hot? And his muscles... it kept on flexing..."

As if my hand has a mind of its own, it reaches out to touch his navel area. Even though the white fabric is wet, his muscles feel hard against my palm. I gulp without knowing. It's much better than what I imagined. Much, much better... Jennie's description is no match for this.

"What are you doing?"

I look up and see he's raising a brow. Retrieving my hand back, I reply, "N – N – Nothing. I was – Your sweat – Uh... I was checking!"

"Checking?"

"Checking to see... if it's wet as well! You know, because you're sweating... and... such..."

"Okay..."

"I'm telling the truth!"

Junhoe chuckles and continues wiping my sweat. "Chaeyoung, I already gave you the chance to let it be. I know you're checking me out."

"I'm not..."

This is so embarrassing... Why do I have to do that? You just can't touch people's abs, Park Chaeyoung! No matter how much it looks like it's begging to be touched... Wait. What?

Idiot Chaeyoung. Why are you like this now? Do you like it that much?

I stop that thought. Yes, I do. I bite my lower lip hard to prevent myself from smiling about it, afraid he's going to see. I really am foolish.

Wait. Why is he so kind to me in the first place? He has a girlfriend already! What will she make of this when she finds out?

I nudge his arm away. He's staring at me, wondering why, but I can't answer him straight so I look away. "I – I'll get going."

"Chaeyoung—"

Standing up, I say, "My bag... I have to get it back."

"My friends probably got it."

"Then..." I look around to find another excuse but I'm coming up with a blank. "I have to... to get home. Yeah, that seems right."

Biting my lip, I hope he buys my flimsy excuse. When he sighs, I know it's far from happening.

"Why are you being like this?"

"What do you mean?"

He tugs his shirt down, smoothening it over with his palm so it looks neat. "You've been avoiding me since this morning. Did I do something wrong?"

"I – I..." I take a deep breath. There's no use lying about this one, isn't it? It's either I continue acting stupid or I'll tell the truth. "I don't want to upset your girlfriend, okay? Now that you know, can I go?"

Junhoe grabs my wrist before I can move. "Wait. No. That girlfriend part. Where did you get that?"

Ugh. Why is he acting dumb? It hurts more if he pretends it's nothing when it's everything for me. Junhoe... he's really a bad man. Isn't it enough that I catch him with another girl? The memory's too fresh, enough for somehing bile to rise in my throat.

"She's gonna be upset if you keep being like this." I shake his hand off before he can see me unravel in front of him. "It'd be better if we keep our distance to each other."

Junhoe's chuckling again, only this time it sounds like he finds something hilarious. I just... I can't with him! Here I am breaking apart yet he has the audacity to laugh? He's really a bad person.

"Chaeyoung," he begins again, more slowly now. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I saw you with her yesterday."

Junhoe furrows his brows, his eyes dimming, then they light up as he realizes something. "That must be Hanna. But she's my ex, what are you talking about...?" He trails off and grins. "I think you're mistaken. We were talking about something serious."

"Something serious, like getting back together?" I can't help but grumble. When I realize my mistake, it's already late. I cover my mouth, my eyes widening. "S – Sorry. I didn't mean that—"

"Maybe it's just me, but you sound pretty jealous."

I scoff at that. "Me? Jealous? Are you joking right now?"

"Ah..." He shakes his head with a little smile on his lips. Why does he look happy about this? "I was hoping I'd do this right..."

"What...?"

"Before you leave, hear me out first." Junhoe pats the space beside him. "Come."

Reluctantly, I sit back on my original seat. I send him a look. What is he on to now?

"Park Chaeyoung," he begins. I don't know what's with him but whatever it is, it made the timbre of his voice deeper, and I can't help but think how it sounds y. "You scared me to hell, you know that? Today made me realize I don't want you dating anyone else other than me. I like you, okay?"

It's like my world stops and I'm breathless all of a sudden, the power of three words I thought I wouldn't hear from him. Unbelievable...

Before I can even recover from that, he continues, "This is impromptu and I don't have a heartwarming speech ready for you. So what I'm saying is—" He adjusts his position so he faces me, an unreadable expression on his face. "—let's skip to the cringey part and ask you something. Do you want to date a temperate man like me?"

"Junhoe..." I cover my mouth again, this time for an entirely different reason. I don't want him to see me grinning like an idiot. He's... My heart's beating so fast. What's this? Am I dreaming? This can't be real, right? This only happens in dramas. Oh my gosh, this is real, isn't it? OH MY GOSH. This is real. I'm not dreaming. I'm not dreaming. I'm not dreaming—

"Chaeyoung? You okay?"

Without thinking it through, I squeal, "Yes!" Wait, that sounds too eager. Calm down, Park Chaeyoung. You don't want to scare him. "I mean, yes. Whatever. No biggie. Psh. I'm okay. We're good, right?"

"Yes to the date or yes that you're okay?"

"Yes yes yes. Yes to everything, okay? Gosh, I'm sorry. It's just — I'm a bundle of nerves right now so I don't know what I'm doing. Oh my gosh, stop talking. This is so embarrassing..."

He's chuckling again and I can see how much he's trying hard not to laugh out loud.

"Don't laugh at me! Geez..."

Shaking his head, Junhoe stands up and holds out his hand in front of me, his eyes urging me to take it. "Let's go?"

"To where?"

"To our first date, of course."

My hands comb through my hair in frustrating , then I tug my blouse down to ensure it's still presentable. "You mean, right now? Are you – Are you serious? We just ran like crazy and my make-up's ruined..."

"Who cares? Come on, I know you were trying to impress that jerk earlier so you didn't eat much. There's this place I know nearby..."

It can't be helped. It's not like it'll take him expert persuasion skills to make me agree anyway. It's Goo Junhoe, asking me on a date, the man I like, the man who tormented me for a lot of days. How can I say no to that? This brings me warm feelings... Who would've thought?

I hold his hand and stand up, a sweet smile naturally appearing on my lips. When I do, I gasp in surprise. Looking at our intertwined hands, I say, "Junhoe..." I place my other hand on top of his, all the while giggling, supressing a loud laugh from bubbling out of my mouth. "Your hand's shaking too much! Is it shaking all this time? It feels like it does..."

"Shut up," he grumbles as he turns around and starts leading me away.

I slip out a grin behind him. He doesn't say much but I know. It's obvious in his reddish ears. He likes me just as much as I like him.

~end of prequel.