Kim Han Bin in a deep breath as he straightened his suit and looks at his reflection in the elevator door. The doors open and he steps out of the box to see crowds of people dressed elegantly and cameras flashed everywhere, which was no surprise to him since both the groom and bride were well-known celebrities.

He turns left before any camera could capture him, towards the bride’s room that wasn’t opened yet. He knocked on the door and then slipped into the room. “Han Bin!” he heard his name and turns to see his best friend as he fully closed the door, blocking out the wordless chatter.

“Hayi,” he returned the greeting as he stood behind her with his hands shoved into his pockets and a small smile grace his lips. “You nervous?”

Her eyes darted downwards and the smile tugged into a frown but he remained quiet. After her hair was done, the hairdresser leaves and she immediately let out a sigh of relief. Han Bin looks at her with a raised eyebrow and she smiles meekly, remembering that she wasn’t the only one in the room. 

“Is there something wrong?” he asked and she shook her head. “You’re overthinking something. Stop it.”

“Han Bin ah,” she called out softly after some time and then made eye contact with him through the mirror. “I’m scared.”

“Why?” he probed gently, curious but not wanting to shut her immediately.

“I don’t know…” she trailed off sadly.

He moved and put his hand on her shoulder before flashing a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry,” he said firmly. “You’re just overthinking it. Everything is and will be alright! I’ll be here for you.”

Hayi looks at him worriedly before a smile slowly appeared. She nods with a wider smile as the wedding planner enters the room, shocked at the sight of a male but collected herself and delivered the message of the bride having to start allowing visitors. Han Bin nods and smiles at his best friend before excusing himself accompanied with a polite nod.

He heads for the groom’s room like he had just arrived and was greeted by the groom himself. “Han Bin!” Jiwon exclaimed, eye-smile full on display.

“Bobby!” he replied with the same enthusiasm as they did a bro-hug. “You feeling alright?”

“Never better,” the other replied, happiness glowing from him.

Jiwon then went around to introduce his best buddy to his groomsmen who never seen him before. Han Bin zones out when Jiwon was talking about basketball with one of his friends who came all the way from America. He remembers back to when the both of them met and became friends. Jiwon was always loud and hyper while he was calm and collected but they bonded over music before finding out that only their attitude was the only difference. He remembers how smitten the older was when he first introduced Hayi to him since she had just transferred to their school from an all-girls school. Every day, the older would follow her around and shower her with skinship and gifts that were sometimes shyly returned.

But Han Bin always knew that if Jiwon weren’t in the picture, Hayi and him would have ended up together. It was just that timing was a . When Hayi had finally accepted the American-born Korean confession, that was when he decided that he wanted her to be happy and settled for being their best friends and the in-between person when the couple had fights. The fight existed simply because she thought too much and he thought too little. Despite that, they still continued as a couple for many years.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when it was announced that the ceremony was being held soon. As everyone filed out, it was only Jiwon and Han Bin left in the room. The best friend immediately called out to the groom to gain his attention. He fidgets under the curious gaze of the other, takes a deep breath before making eye contact. “Jiwon hyung… Take care of Hayi, please,” the younger pleaded as he sensed the annoyance. “You know that she thinks too much. Please take care of her.”

“Han Bin ah. You know personally that I love Hayi more than myself. I will put her above my needs and myself,” the older reassured with a wide grin. “I will take care of her from now on.”

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His phone ringing awaked Han Bin. Groaning, he stared at the bright screen where the digits showed ‘3:01’. The screen falls dark and he dropped it next to pillow, still attached to the wall charger. When he was about to fall back to sleep, it lit up again. Too sleepy to do anything, he tried to ignore it but whenever he was about to drift back to sleep, it rings. 

He picked it up out of frustration and was about to yell at the caller when he hears sobs. Recognizing the sobs, his sleepiness was left forgotten and the soft voice of the caller became more evident. He strains his ears to hear something along the lines of outside his apartment. Getting out of bed in record time, he fumbles with his keys in one hand to open the door. He soothes the person with comforting words as he finally slotted the key into the lock to unlock it.

Opening the door softly as he braced himself, the trembling back view of a girl who had her hand gripping tightly to her phone as a spew of incoherent words emitted from . “Hayi,” he gently calls out as he hangs up the call.

Hayi stood up and hugged him tightly as her tears fell quicker. “What’s wrong?” he whispers after a while when he feels her calming down.

Releasing her grip on him, she takes a shaky step backward and raises the back of her hand to wipe the tears away. He moves aside to let her enter the small apartment. He led her to the only room in the home with a gentle grip on her thin wrist. The look in his eyes stopped her from protesting and she bows slightly as a sign of gratitude before entering the room.

Han Bin sighs and leaned against the wall, thinking about all the reasons why she would have ended up at his front door in the middle of the night – almost in tears. He attempted to call Jiwon but it remains as the annoying beeping noise of an unpicked call. Sighing, he goes to the couch and laid on it, wide-awake. His phone vibrated and he looked at it.

Thank you… 03:15

Sorry for disturbing you >< 03:15

When Han Bin woke up in the morning, the smell of his favourite dishes wafted around the room. He slowly got up to go into the modern black and white kitchen where he found his best friend busy cooking. Leaning against the island table, his eyes followed the small girl hurrying around the place, having not noticed him yet.

“Hayi ah,” he called out affectionately and the mentioned immediately turned around, a grin breaking out.

That was when he noticed one of his old and small shirts on her. “Han Bin! Good morning~” she chirped.

“What got you into a good mood?” he asked as he took a drink of water from the glass that was set out on the counter.

“Just had a good night sleep,” she simply replied. “Go wash up so we can have breakfast, well more like brunch, together.”

The male proceeded as he was told; the memory of Hayi at his doorstep, sobbing just this morning occupied his mind. Going into a mindless routine that he does every morning, thoughts of the girl in the other room and wanting to wake up to a scene like that every day, especially to that girl.

Once he was done, he double-checked his appearance in the mirror before leaving the bathroom to the sight of a fully set table. She then appeared with two bowls of soup and then they both took a seat, across one another. Han Bin took a piece of kimbap and put it into his mouth as the girl peered with a hopeful look. “Your cooking is amazing!” he exclaimed with wide eyes and thumbs up. “Looks like Bobby improved your cooking.”

A forced smile appeared as her pair of chopsticks was laid on the table. He also stopped after noticing her facial expression. “Hayi?” he calls out cautiously. “What happened… between the both of you?”

Han Bin had left the day after Jiwon’s and Hayi’s wedding ceremony to head to Sydney for an internship to a new company to help with marketing. He had recently returned back to Seoul, having finished the internship. Not wanting just to return to the working life yet, he decided to coop himself up in his own apartment that was gifted by his parents as a congratulations gift. He never had time to catch up with either of his best friends.

Han Bin stares at the girl who had her head lowered. “What happened when I wasn’t around?” he asked softly. 

“Why couldn’t it be you that I fell in love with?” she wonders as tears fell from her eyes, making the guy freeze.

“Hayi, don’t be like this…” he trails off when he finally got out of the trance. “Jiwon hyung and you are married now. You shouldn’t be thinking about things like that.”

When the reply doesn’t happen, he continues. “You think a lot; from everything to anything. That’s why you manage the important documents and proposals in your company. But Hayi… sometimes you overthink and worry about nothing. You clearly know that but you can’t change it. Because it is part of your personality and what makes you, you.”

The sobs increased throughout the mini-speech and when he was done, she made eye contact with him. “I really wish I fell in love with you. You’re sensitive and understanding…” she mutters.

“Because I’m your best friend.”

“Unlike Jiwon…”

His eyes widen at her words. “What did Jiwon do?” he asks worriedly. “Did he hurt you?”

“No!” she exclaims before her voice fell to a soft whisper. “At least not physically.”

She lets out a sigh. “I couldn’t sleep at all before I came to your house. I just lay there, thinking while Oppa slept peacefully at the other side of the bed. The thought of him not loving me anymore in the years to come scared me. The thought of him leaving me scared me even further. Different scenarios of Oppa leaving me, not loving me, overtook my mind till one point where I was convinced that he was most definitely going to leave me,” she ranted in a child-like voice. “I woke him up to make him promise me not to leave me. But he got so pissed at me for waking him up in the middle of the night when he had an important meeting the same day, he yelled at me… We had our first major fight.”

After hearing what had happened, something clicked in Han Bin as he continued to comfort the girl.

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When Hayi woke up the next day, the apartment was strangely quiet. She was still residing in Han Bin’s apartment having to refuse to contact her husband. A letter was laid on the glass top dining table. Picking it up, her name 하이 was written nicely at the corner of the envelope. Recognizing her best friend’s writing, she became more curious as to what the letter contained.

Annyeong Hayi… :)

I don’t know where to start… I just want to thank you for being my friend when no one would at that playground when we were merely four years old because it led me to have the most beautiful and bubbly best friend. It would come as no surprise that I liked you – possibly loved you. But just like how ed is added to the end of the word, it is the past. I had stopped the moment you accepted Jiwon hyung’s confession after countless attempts. But no one could deny that we eventually would have ended up together… if Jiwon hyung weren’t in the picture. But just like everything I mentioned, it is the past. It could not possibly happen anymore. Hayi ah… When you read this, hyung would probably be on his way to the apartment. If you’re wondering where I am… I have decided to head back to Sydney. It’s the same as before just that you wouldn’t be able to contact or see me anytime soon. Why? You don’t realize it but… me being your best friend, being around and just knowing you, is holding you back from fully loving Jiwon hyung. Because you have drafted your ideal man into someone loving, someone caring, someone understanding, someone who can stand your overthinking, someone who can reassure your worries, again and again, someone that is me. But you never noticed that it was shaped into me simply because… you never saw me as a man. I was always your best friend. You never had a boyfriend other than Jiwon hyung all these years because I took the role of your boyfriend while staying as a best friend. I heard from Jiwon hyung that when I wasn’t around, you would always go to our hangout place and stay there. I’m guessing you are trying to comfort yourself. So now… Let this apartment provide you with the comfort you can no longer seek from me. I really hope that Jiwon hyung and you would resolve this. Live well, Hayi ah… :)

Your ex-best friend,
김한반
Kim Han Bin