Jong Kook was waiting for Ji Hyo after filming one day. They had agreed to grab a meal together before heading over to the hair salon, since they happened to go to the same one now. 

As like friends, of course. 

Jong Kook sat on an empty bench as he waited for Ji Hyo to get changed. He waved goodbye to the other members who had schedules to get to or families to go home to.  

Ji Hyo was taking a little longer than usual that day. Not like Jong Kook noted the usual time she took to get ready of course. Not like he counted the minutes before he got to see her again and dreaded the seconds that ticked by so slowly in between. 

Not like he yearned to see her. 

Not like he dreaded being apart.

Not like he was in love with her. 

Ji Hyo walked out of the ladies' locker room, her belongings lumped in a bag she slung haphazardly over her shoulder.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Ji Hyo looked sullen. It made Jong Kook worry. 

"You tired?" He asked.

"No."

"Is something wrong?"

Ji Hyo shrugged. 

"I just had to break up with my boyfriend."

Jong Kook couldn't help it, his heart began to ache less. He refused to question why it was aching in the first place. He refused to question why his heart seemed to physically hurt whenever she smiled at him a certain way, or when she waved goodbye. 

"I'm sorry about that." 

Ji Hyo waved her hand in dismissal. 

"Don't be. It was a mutual decision. In which I told him it was over and he had to accept it. Okay, so maybe I dumped him. And maybe he cried a little." 

Jong Kook felt his heart ache even less suddenly. 

"Then why do you look so... down?"

Ji Hyo shrugged. "I don't know. I feel broken I guess." 

"Why?"

"Because I didn't feel anything. Because I don't feel anything. He never made me... feel what you're supposed to feel when you're in a relationship." 

Jong Kook patted her on the shoulder.

"You're not broken- you just weren't in love with him. Besides, he didn't deserve you anyway." 

Ji Hyo cracked a light smile at that. 

Before frowning again. 

"It's not just him though. I don't think I've ever truly felt deeply enough for any of my exes. I liked some of the sweet things they did, I liked the way some of them looked- but after the novelty wore off, I realised that was it to them. There's something wrong with me, isn't there?" 

Ji Hyo's large eyes looked up to the furiously shaking head of Jong Kook.

"There's nothing at all wrong with you, and you should never think like that ever again, understood?"

Ji Hyo nodded hesitantly.

"None of them ever deserved you anyway." 

Ji Hyo chuckled. "How do you know that for sure? You don't know every one of my exes."

"I don't need to know who you dated to know that none of them deserved