Hyunmi wondered whether anything would change if Woohyun got himself a new girlfriend this time. In the past, she knew when not to cross the line. But Woohyun had always been so oblivious about it, casually playing around with her hair while his girlfriend was watching, or saying things to show his favoritism towards her that was bound to cause misunderstandings. Sometimes she even thought the glint in his eyes changed at her arrival, something she was entitled to being the best friend.   But she really didn’t want to be the reason for his relationship failures. Maybe she should start looking for a boyfriend herself, which was practically impossible since every guy at school thought she dated Woohyun.   Should she keep a distance after all?   “I’m home,” she called, lazily taking off her shoes.    Her brother’s head peeked up from the living room, immediately running over to give her a hug. Their family hadn’t been shy of showing affection.   “Sis, why the long face? Something on your mind?” Dongwoo asked, massaging the temple of her head with a finger.   “No, I’m fine.”   “Great, cause I have a surprise for you. Guess who came over for a sleepover?” Dongwoo hastily pulled her by the arm, too impatient to reveal his own surprise. He nearly jumped in place, holding his arms out to the visitor with a ‘tadaa’ pose.   Hyunmi’s face cleared up immediately. “Sunggyu!”   She ran right into his arms, holding him tight. Oh, how she missed him. Though there was a point in life where she might have had a stupid little crush on him, now he was more of a brother from another mother.   “How have you been? You haven’t grown at all,” Sunggyu grinned, putting a hand against the crown of her head to emphasize on her height, barely reaching his shoulder.   “Same old, same old,” she replied, squinting her eyes in feigned annoyance. But as soon as Sunggyu laughed, she joined in.   “Where’s Woohyun? I thought he’d walk you home,” Sunggyu then asked, looking beyond her, as if the boy would pop out from his hiding at any moment now.   “He’s at soccer practice, flirting with the new club manager,” Hyunmi said, and she did her best to ignore the state of absolute devastation sinking into their face.   “Are you telling me that you two still aren’t dating?” Sunggyu blurted out loud.   “Of course not,” she replied with an edge of pride. Yes, she did take pride in the fact that they proved everyone wrong and went against the status quo: you can be best friends without falling for each other.   “What is Woohyun doing? I’ll scold him when he gets here,” Sunggyu said, shaking his fist to control his itch.   “Mom invited him over for dinner and he agreed, so you can scold him then,” Dongwoo said, pulling Sunggyu to the living room to finish their college project.   Hyunmi pursed her lips, wondering whether this tradition would also change if Woohyun had a girlfriend. In the past, he continued to come over anyway, which fueled some of the quarrels with his girlfriend.    Technically, Woohyun was good friends with Dongwoo and the rest of her family—sometimes he even texted her mom, talking about random things like two friends would. It was no secret that she considered him a son. Imagining Woohyun eating dinner alone at his apartment made her eager to invite him over. Sometimes he’d decline and sometimes he’d join.   Hyunmi entered the kitchen, taking in the strong scent of cumin and saffron. “What’s for dinner, Mom?” She asked anyway.   “Indian curry. Both Sunggyu and Woohyun love it,” she said, smiling giddily at the thought of feeding them.   “Need help?”   “Yes, you can help me with the carrots and potatoes,” she said, pointing at the untouched cutting board. “Why isn’t Woohyun with you?”   “He has soccer practice,” Hyunmi said, and just to test her mother’s reaction, also added. “And he’s flirting with the new club manager.”   “Aw, is that so?” Her mother turned to look at her for the first time since she returned, putting a hand to her chest apologetically. “I’m so sorry, honey.”   Great. So technically her classmates thought she was dating Woohyun, and her own mother thought it was unrequited love. Things could not get more absurd. Maybe she should’ve put a distance.   “I’m going to shower, but boil the carrots and potatoes when you’re done, then add it to the curry sauce,” she instructed, to which Hyunmi obediently nodded at. She had helped in the kitchen enough to know the basic gist of it.    Hyunmi continued stirring the chopped veggies, her mind still deep in thought. She didn’t even understand why it occupied her to such an extent. It was Woohyun’s love life after all, not hers. So she decided to let it rest as minutes went by.   “Smells good,” a voice whispered, too close to her, tickling her neck.   Hyunmi turned with the fork in her hand, surprised to see Woohyun before her, his hands raised midair in surrender.   “Woohyun? When did you get here?”   “Just now. Didn’t you hear the bell?”   She shook her head.   He laughed. “Seems you were too focused on your,” he peeked inside the boiling pot, “veggies.”   “Yes, I need them boiled to utmost perfection,” she said, proceeding to drain the water out. The pan was too heavy, but she refused to ask for help in fear he’d about being weak. Apparently she didn’t have to. Whether Woohyun knew the limit of her strength or was a gentleman by nature, he quickly took the heavy pan from her hand.   “What would you do without me?” He teased, smirking at her.   “I could’ve managed, but thanks,” she said, giving him a small push with her arm. “You should go shower. You’re sweating.”   “Not like you’re any different,” he remarked.   Hyunmi hadn’t noticed how long she had stayed in the kitchen, trapped with the hot air all around her. “I’ll shower after dinner. You can g