Myungsoo was anxious when he waited for Hongbin to get onto Skype. Jongin had cussed over the phone the last time they spoke, and Suzy had blocked him in her contacts. He knew he could bring ends to meet if he travelled to Boston, but his job was stressful. He needed good references, and if he moved without giving the notice, he might lose out. Besides, some of the other doctors did not like him because they considered him fierce competition.

    Hongbin appeared on the screen. Myungsoo almost jumped out his chair, because he had never seen his friend like that before: defeated, ripped from all the happiness of life, hopeless.

    “Hey, Hongbin. How’re you?”

“I’m fine,” he said. An obvious lie. “How’re you? How’s work?”

    “I’m fine. Listen, let’s cut straight to the topic. What’s going on there?”

“I told them the truth,” he replied. “I never wanted them there.”

    His worst nightmares had come true. He could not help but feel some irritation towards Hongbin. It had taken much precision and planning to help his best friend, but it was crumbling. Perhaps it truly was the wrong idea to send Suzy and Jongin. Myungsoo should have known better that Suzy’s stubbornness, and Jongin’s impatience would have an affect on Hongbin. He thought that if Suzy went, then Hongbin would be willing to recover faster.

    He was wrong on so many levels. Myungsoo had forgotten that people change, and Suzy was too headstrong to keep with Hongbin’s pain. He could not imagine how she treated him. She needed a serious lecture once he arrived. It would all turn better once he set foot in Boston. They needed him, all three of them. Like old times again.

    He heard a sob from the other end, breaking him out of his thoughts. Hongbin had his head lowered. His shoulders were shaking.

    “Hongbin? Hey, buddy. Don’t.”

Hongbin stifled a sob. “I’m sorry, Myungsoo. I can’t talk right now.”

    “No wait--”

The screened turned to black. And Myungsoo was left helpless.

Suzy and Jongin sat in a cafeteria inside a large building. They watched the sea in the distance, frozen and then leaping into giant waves in the distance. Suzy’s fingers curled over the hot cup of chocolate. It was nice and warm, but she felt so cold. It was snowing outside, and all she could think of was Hongbin, and if he was warm that moment. A part of her wanted to go back, and persevere through his despondency. But Jongin’s company was so much lighter, and he rarely brought up a topic that stressed her.

    “Hey Jongin,” she said, as a memory struck her. “Do you remember the day that Hongbin left?”

    Her friend nodded, but he was too busy smiling at a cute waitress that passed by.

She continued anyway. “We kissed.”

    “Cool,” said Jongin, winking at the waitress. Suddenly, he did a turn, and his eyes were ready to fall out of his face. “What!?”

    She nodded. “After that, I realised I liked him for such a long time. He told me he had liked me too, since we were kids.”

    “What!?”

“We went on a date when I was a twelve, and watched Bridget Jones’ diary in the cinema.”

    “What!?”

“That was after I got jealous when he took Naeun to the prom.”

    “What!?” With each secret spilled, Jongin’s mouth opened wider. He blinked at her, as if she was but a fairy who was ready to fly away. “How come I never noticed this?”

“Because you were too busy playing around with girls,” she said flatly. “Anyways, I just wanted to tell you this.”

    Jongin scratched his nose. “Do you still like him now? I don’t think he likes you anymore, not with that kind of behaviour.”

    Her heart skipped a beat. “Do you think so?”

“What’s there to like about him now? He’s just an idiot who thinks the universe hates him. But man...can’t believe you guys kissed.” He shuddered. “Dude, I thought the two of you were like siblings. Yuck!” Jongin rubbed his arms. “Icky! Icky!”

    “Jongin!” She reached across to hit him upside the head. “I only told you now to get a weight off my shoulders.”

    “Dude, I didn’t want to hear that! It’s like to me.”

Suzy rolled her eyes. Perhaps she should have told Naeun over the phone instead. Jongin mentioned that he was going for a ‘walk’ with Laura later that evening, so Suzy had all the time she herself back in their rented apartment. She did not know who was paying for rent. While Suzy comforted herself on the couch, the doorbell rang. She found it odd, and hoped it was not the pretty waitress who Jongin had slyly given his number to from earlier.

    When she opened the door, her knees almost gave way. Standing before her was possibly the most beautiful woman she had ever met. With blonde hair intricately