I walked around the apartment and tidied away the bowls of popcorn that D.O and I had left on the coffee table from the night before. It was quiet in the apartment since I was alone.

After D.O and I had lunch with some of the BTS members, I had gone straight home while D.O went to the dance studio to catch up with some of the rehearsals he'd missed from going on our honeymoon. The WGM staff had informed us that we had the afternoon off while they went and filmed a new celebrity couple that was taking part in WGM as well.

I sighed distractedly as I threw away some of the rubbish that had accumulated around the kitchen counters. But even when I saw my hands picking up stuff and throwing things away, it felt like I was watching someone else doing it. It was as if I was in someone else's body as I wasn't registering anything that I was doing. My mind was too preoccupied to think of anything else apart from what had happened earlier.

"Nami-ah... you're the one I like."

I shook my head fervently to banish D.O's words, my cheeks heating up as I did so. I was still in shock from D.O's confession. I couldn't believe it. D.O liked me? Why? How? Since when? So many questions whizzed through my mind, faster than I could comprehend. I was at a lost at what to do and how to react.

Earlier, when I heard D.O say those words, I froze on the spot. I was too surprised to say or do anything. I couldn't believe him.

D.O looked at me expectantly, his face showing signs of nervousness as he waited for my answer. I studied his eyes carefully, searching for any signs of him breaking his pretence if it turned out to be another joke. How could I be sure that he wasn't pulling my leg again? D.O was good at acting and, if he was pulling another stunt, I would willingly admit that I was falling for it.

But the longer I stared into his tenacious, round eyes, the more certain I felt that he wasn't joking. D.O was serious. He was telling the truth: he had romantic feelings for me. And I didn't know what to do.

"What-what about you?" he had asked me, his voice shaking a little. "How-how do you feel about me?"

I stood rooted to the ground, unable to move. I even lost my ability to speak. Eventually, I regained my composure and opened my mouth to reply, "I--"

But before I could say anything, Manager-nim had interrupted us and told us that we could leave the restaurant now. D.O gave me one last glance before he started walking in front of me, not daring to look behind or meet my eye. I guess he was trying to be considerate of me by giving me some space to think it over. Either that or he was also too nervous to say anything more.

I finished tidying the living room and kitchen and sighed as I sat down on the sofa. How was I going to face D.O later on? Before he had left for the dance studio, he had briefly told me that tonight was the premiere for his film, 'Pure Love,' and that he'll be swinging by the apartment later to pick me up-- if I still wanted to go. Still feeling awkward, I nodded in reply, not giving him a firm 'yes' or 'no' to his invitation.

As I mulled over on what to do, my eyes suddenly rested on the direction of the kitchen and images of D.O floated in my mind's eye. I fantasized him focused on cooking a meal, his back hunched over as he concentrated on cutting vegetables or washing them under the sink. The expression he wore was of pure focus, his brows furrowed slightly in concentration and his heart-shaped lips thinned into a straight line as he did so.

I imagined him looking up suddenly, as he noticed me watching him and he would smile warmly, his round eyes softening, as they always did, when he saw me approaching him. It was only now did I realise the meaning behind those affectionate smiles.

"You're the one I like."

I buried my head into one of the sofa cushions and screamed into it while flailing my legs about. What was wrong with me? Why did I suddenly imagine that?

"Nami-ah, it's you. You're the one I like."

D.O's words echoed in my mind continuously as different images of him floated in front of me. It was like I was suddenly seeing him everywhere and wherever I looked, a phantom version of D.O would be peering at me. He had invaded my mind and now, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

"Seriously, D.O-ah, why me?" I asked aloud as one of his phantoms smiled at me from beside the sofa. "What do you like about me? I mean, I'm not as pretty as all the idols and actresses you're surrounded by and I'm not good at cooking, nor am I good at singing and acting. So, why me?"

His phantom continued to smile at me, his round eyes softened as he reached out his hand to touch my cheek. Suddenly, I heard his voice caress my ear, "Nami-ah... you're the one I like."

I swatted his phantom away as I shook my head energetically. Gah, I really was losing it. What was I doing speaking to a figment of my imagination?

I stood up and paced around the living room to try and clear my head. I was so lost as to what I should do. And then I thought of a question that I definitely needed to find the answer to: how did I feel about D.O?

D.O had always been there for me when I needed him. Apart from Xiumin, D.O was the only other person I felt comfortable sharing my problems with and I knew I could rely on. He had helped me with cooking and he was always there for me when I was in trouble. D.O was a good person-- he was a good friend. But it turns out that he wanted to be more than that. And I didn't know if I could return his feelings.

Suddenly all his good qualities came flashing through my mind. I remembered how he had offered to help teach me how to cook and how we spent those few hours each day just working side by side in harmonious bliss. I recalled the way he had acted as a barrier between Chanyeol and I when Chanyeol had chased me around with a cockroach and how he had comforted me when I was upset during the photo shoot. I remembered how he had hugged me tightly, his sturdy arms capturing me in his embrace when he saw that I had arrived safely in the dorm, the first time I went missing. His reassuring embrace and his warm hands always held me so gently.

All these memories of D.O flooded my mind and my heart started thumping when I remembered how he felt about me. All that time... had D.O been loving me secretly?

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. I was going nowhere with this and, the longer I sat and thought about it, the more confused I became. I needed a second opinion; I needed to talk to someone and there was one person I knew I could call upon.

I pulled out my phone.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice answered.

"Hey, Hyun-suk."

"Nami-ssi?" I heard his voice suddenly perk up. "Is this really you?"

"Yeah" I replied. "I'm sorry I haven't been keeping in touch--"

"Omo, girl, you have a lot of explaining to do!" he suddenly shouted and I pulled my phone away from my ear immediately. "What the hell happened to you? You disappeared on me for almost two months!"

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" I apologised. "A lot of stuff... happened."

I heard Hyun-suk grunt from the other side but then he responded, "Well, whatever. We should meet up and do a catch-up session over coffee one day but, not right now. I've been too busy at work." He paused for a while as if he was thinking. "Anyways, what's up? Why did you call?"

I played on the cuff of my sleeve as I told him, "I need your advice again."

Hyun-suk's voice went up a notch as he responded, "Hmm, sounds like boy trouble." I imagined him shifting into a more comfortable position as I heard shuffling in the background, "Tell me more."

"Well," I began. "Remember how I had a problem with... Ju-pyo and Ji-hoo?" I asked, using the character names of the male leads from 'Boys Over Flowers'.

"Yeah" he replied. "Go on."

"Well... I broke up with Ju-pyo."

I heard Hyun-suk take in a sharp-intake of breath before he exclaimed, "YOU DID, WHAT?!" His loud voice crackled through my phone receiver, grating my eardrums.

I grimaced. "Yeah, we broke up just recently," I told him in a small voice. "But that's not why I'm calling you."

"Omo, Nami-ssi, a catch-up is long overdue! Spill all the beans sister, you have my full attention."

I took a deep breath as I continued, "Ji-hoo... confessed to me that he liked me."

Again, Hyun-suk's loud voice assaulted my eardrums, "OMO, HE DID THAT?!" I listened to Hyun-suk's overly excited reaction as he suddenly went on a very enthusiastic oration on how I should have told him sooner and how he needed to know every last detail of how it happened. Once he had calmed down, he asked, "And? What did you say?"

I bit my lip. "I...I didn't say anything."

Hyun-suk sighed, evidently disappointed.

"I didn't know what to say" I continued. "Hyun-suk, I'm so confused."

"What is there to be confused about? If he asked to date you, all you have to do is say 'yes' or 'no'."

"But it's not as simple as that!" I responded, frustrated that Hyun-suk seemed to be belittling my dilemma. "He's my- he's my friend. And, I-I don't know how I feel about him. I don't know what to say to him so that I don't hurt his feelings."

I heard Hyun-suk exhale from the other end before he spoke. "Are you sure you only think of him as a friend?"

I hesitated. "Yes."

Hyun-suk's voice sounded doubtful as he replied, "You paused."

"I-I was just thinking..."

"You know when it comes to love, your head is the worst person to ask advice from, right?" He paused before saying, "As cheesy as it may sound, what does your heart say?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know what it says."

He sighed again. "Remember what you told me before?"

"Hm?"

"You said that there was another guy, apart from Ju-pyo, that was making you hesitate. That was Ji-hoo, right?"

I managed a small grunt as a reply.

"Well," he continued, "what if, the reason why you were hesitating back then was because you had feelings for Ji-hoo? What if... part of you liked him all along?"

"What?" I asked incredulously, "That's insane!"

Hyun-suk kissed his teeth at my reaction. "Not really. I may not know all the details of why you and Ju-pyo broke up but, you shouldn't dismiss the possibility that Ji-hoo may have been occupying part of your heart without you realising it." He paused as he thought. "I mean, if we use K-drama logic, it makes sense. Ju-pyo was the a