Ih Na and Rae Won were wrapping up their visit to the Jeongdong Observatory, when the latter thought about bringing her to Happy Bread to meet Bom So. Today was Bom So's birthday and his only wish was the simplest and the funniest; to meet Ih Na, the woman he claimed to be his best friend's future girlfriend. 

Rae Won may have seemed a bit hesistant at first, but ended up asking her anyway, thinking that he had nothing to lose. Fortunately, Ih Na had no other plans for today, and decided to tag along. 

So here they were, at the small and cozy Happy Bread bakery, trying to stop themselves from laughing as they noticed how Bom So's jaw had dropped at the sight of Ih Na.

"Omo _{(Oh my)}... so I guess Rae Won wasn't joking when he said that you were really pretty." He said. "You know, you look like that actress from... what was that show again... Crash Landing On You? Neh, neh _{(Yes, yes)}. Son Ye Jin sshi!" 

Ih Na smiled in reply. 

"I get that a lot, but I don't really see it." She said. 

"Well I do, and I'm pretty sure Rae Won does too." Bom So uttered, playfully wiggling his eyebrows at his best friend. "Did you know that he's had this big fat crush on Son Ye Jin ever since we were in high school? He even had posters of her hung on his bedroom walls and-"

Rae Won cleared his throat in embarrassment. 

"Araso, gumanhaeyo _{(Alright, that's enough)}." He said. 

"Waeyo _(Why)?" Bom So teased. "Don't you want Ih Na to know that you had a fanboy phase?" 

"Rae Won ah, gweanchanha _{(Rae Won, it's okay)}. You're not the only one with a fan phase anyway." Ih Na smiled. "I've been following Hyun Bin's career ever since I was in middle school. Practically swooned and continue to swoon over him up until this very day." 

Rae Won smiled back. 

"That's really cute." He uttered. 

Noticing the little sparkles in their eyes as they talked and gazed at each other, Bom So couldn't help but smile. It's been quite a while since he had last seen his best friend this smitten over a woman, and he sure was glad that the woman was Ih Na. Truth be told, he could care less that she was Yong Hwa's ex-girlfriend, because they were long over anyway, and the fact that Yong Hwa didn't want nor need her in his life anymore was as clear as fresh water. 

"Anyway Ih Na, do you go to noraebangs _{(Korean karaoke rooms)}?" Bom So asked. 

"O, kureomyo (Of course). My best friend and I love to go to noraebangs." Ih Na replied. 

"Chincha _(Really)? That's great! I guess can count you in, then." Bom So uttered. "You see, I usually celebrate my birthday with some fried chicken and non-stop singing at noraebangs. It used to be just me, Rae Won and Yeo Ri, but now we have you onboard!" 

"Yeo Ri?" Ih Na said, feeling a bit confused. 

As if on cue, the door chimes of the bakery started hitting against each other, as a young lady in her early 20's entered the vicinity. She had round, brown eyes, jet black hair that fell just above her shoulders and was wearing a casual, denim dress that accentuated her figure. 

Ih Na wondered why the young lady seemed to be such a familiar face to her, but it didn't take too long for her to realize that it was because she had seen this lady somewhere... at Rae Won's photography studio, to be specific. 

"Bom So oppa, saengilchukahaeyo _{(Bom So, happy birthday)}!" She said, greeting Bom So with a hug. 

"Kamsahamnida _{(Thank you})." Bom So replied, gently patting her back. "Ih Na ya, this is Yeo Ri. I'm not quite sure if Rae Won has introduced you to each other, but she's a Communications student who majors in Photography. She's actually Rae Won's protege who eventually turned into our little sister." He smiled. "And Yeo Ri, this is Ih Na. Rae Won's very own Son Ye Jin, oh I'm sorry, I meant Rae Won's friend who happens to be the editor in chief of-"

"Love Korea. The lifestyle magazine. I know." Yeo Ri said, extending her hand out to Ih Na. "Panggapsumnida, Ih Na unnie _{(It's nice to meet you, Ih Na)}." She added.

"Nado panggapsumnida, Yeo Ri ya _{(It's nice to meet you too, Yeo Ri)}." Ih Na replied, shaking her hand. 

You could say that the two ladies started off on the wrong foot, but Ih Na was mature enough to set her personal feelings aside. She made herself believe that she wasn't hurt nor jealous of what she had seen that night. She was simply shocked and taken a bit offguard. That was all. 

"Alright, since we're all here now, I think it's time for us to go." Bom So said. "My reservation's at 8 pm, and it's 7:30 already." 

"Neh, kaja _{(Yes, let's go)}?" Rae Won said. 

"Kaja _{(Let's go)}." Both ladies said in unison. 

Suddenly, Bom So's eyes went back and forth, from Ih Na to Yeo Ri, Yeo Ri to Ih Na, and then to Rae Won. He had absolutely no idea that a love triangle was in the works, but he was going to save his questions for some other time. Rae Won looked tense enough, and didn't need to be interrogated even more. Well, at least, for now. 

Bom So's birthday celebration at the noraebang was a blast. They were eating, taking Soju shots as if there wasn't tomorrow and singing songs from a wide range of genres. 

When it was Ih Na's turn to sing, she chose Vibe's Love Me Once Again. She might not have had the best voice in the room, but Rae Won gazed at her as if she would give Gummy and Ailee a run for their money. 

"I need you baby, bye bye bye." Ih Na sang, feeling every lyric of the song as if she had wrote it herself. 

Rae Won and Bom So happily sang along, but not Yeo Ri, who had suddenly felt all high and mighty due to the alcohol in her system. Suddenly, she grabbed the microphone from Ih Na and started blurting out everything that was on her mind. 

"Ya, nuguseyo _{(Ya, who are you)}?" Yeo Ri uttered. "I know you're some editor in chief with a pretty face whose been spending a huge amount of time with my Rae Won oppa, but that doesn't give you the right to steal him away from me!" She added. 

"Before you came into the story, I actually thought I had a chance with my oppa. He was mentoring me, we were having coffee a lot, I even went to his apartment once because we had a stupid Netflix party, but now you're here and everything is ruined! Suddenly, he wants to spend more time with you! Suddenly, he likes you! What's left for me now, huh? Crumbs?" 

"Yeo Ri ya, jigeum gumanhae jebal _{(Yeo Ri, please stop this right now)}." Bom So pleaded as he tried to get the microphone away from her. 

"Why don't you just go back to your ex-boyfriend? You know, the one who dumped you? I'm pretty sure he still loves you and would take you back anyway." Yeo Ri uttered. "Just stay away from my Rae Won oppa because he's mine! Did you hear me? He's mine!" 

Ih Na continued to stand there, absolutely dumbfounded. She didn't know what to do or what to say, but she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration and slowly gathered her things. 

"Ih Na ya..." Rae Won said, feeling very humiliated at what Yeo Ri had just done. 

"Bom So ya," Ih Na uttered, her voice shaking a bit. "It was really nice meeting you. I'm sorry if your birthday turned out this way. Had I known of Yeo Ri's feelings towards me, I shouldn't have come." She added. "Dashi, saengilchukahaeyo kurigo jeongmal mianhaeyo. Kalkeyo _{(Again, happy birthday and I'm really sorry. I should get going)}." 

And then, Ih Na calmly left the room without turning back.

With just one look, Bom So knew that Rae Won wanted to go after her. The frustration, worry and anxiety that he was feeling was spread all over his face, and although Bom So knew that Rae Won really wanted to be a good best friend by staying with him on his birthday, the best choice in this very moment was to at least end this day on a good note... even if it meant having the birthday boy take care of a now passed out Yeo Ri in his arms.

"Rae Won ah, keokjeongma. Geunyeoreul jjocha _{(Rae Won, don't worry. Just chase her)}." Bom So said. "Paliwa _{(Hurry up)}!"

Rae Won took a deep breath, his apologetic eyes meeting his best friend's one last time and then he was off. Thankfully, Rae Won didn't have to go far as he had spotted Ih Na sitting on the side of the road. It seemed as if she was giving herself a moment to breathe, as she too had way too many drinks from the celebration earlier. 

"Ih Na, come on." Rae Won said gently, as he tried pulling her up. "I'll drive you home."

"What was that all about?" Ih Na uttered as she attempted to keep her balance. 

"Nothing. It was nothing." Rae Won replied firmly.

"Sashilibnikka _{(Is it true)}?" Ih Na asked. 

"Museun suriya _{(What do you mean)}?" Rae Won clarified.

"That you like me." Ih Na said, her eyes looking straight at Rae Won's. "Ddaedappaeyo jebal _{(Please answer me)}."

Suddenly, Rae Won was taken back to that very moment when Bom So had told him that at some point, he would have to tell Ih Na that he liked her. Although he tried his very best to simply be a friend, to have his feelings carefully hidden in the shadows, there seemed to be this inexplicable force that was making all of this happen and he knew that there was nothing that he could do to stop it anymore. He just had to admit the truth and face whatever consequences that came with it.

"Ye, nan neoreul johahae (Yes, I like you)." Rae Won revealed. "Nan dangsini... neomu joha _{(I like you very much)}."

"Rae Won ah.." Ih Na said, with tears in her eyes. 

"You don't have to like me back." Rae Won replied. "Just let me have these feelings for you. That's more than enough for me."

... And just like that, it was finally out.

You know what they say, secrets can never be kept as secrets. They will all be found out in the right time, and this was the right time... at least for Rae Won. But some of the biggest questions given the circumstances where these; would Ih Na allow Rae Won to keep the feelings that he had for her and most importantly... did she like him back? 

Only Ih Na had the answers to these questions, but as she stood there, not knowing what to make out of the situation once again, there was only one thing in mind that she had wanted him to do. 

"Please... just drive me home." Ih Na uttered. "I want to go home."

And Rae Won did just that. He drove Ih Na home that night, and didn't leave until the lights in her apartment went on. He could only hope that tomorrow, on their very last day of working on this assignment, the sun would shine just as brightly as it did when they began, because if it didn't, it felt like a sign of the end, of a goodbye, and Rae Won wasn't ready.

He will never be ready.