After a long day's work, Ih Na and Son Mi decided to have some coffee and snacks at a nearby branch of Dal.komm Coffee. Ih Na had her usual iced americano while Son Mi settled for a hot mocha and buttered pretzels. 

"So, can I be your best friend now?" Son Mi asked, after taking a quick sip of her mocha. 

Ih Na managed to smile a little as she nodded. 

"Eoseo, mwodeunji mureobwa _{(Go ahead, ask away)}." She said.

Son Mi then sighed. 

"What happened last night?" She asked. 

"Well," Ih Na began. "Yong Hwa just sent me a text message saying that he wanted to break up, then I saw the article of him and that newbie actress and the rest is pretty much history." She added. 

"Unbelievable. What a jerk." Son Mi said, feeling a bit flustered for her best friend. "He better pray that he and I don't cross paths tomorrow, next week, next month or any time in the near future because I will kick his !"

"Nevermind, Son Mi ya. He really isn't worth it." Ih Na replied, her sad eyes still fixated on her coffee.

"Who does he think he is, huh?" Son Mi ranted. "Now that he's some hotshot chef-turned-businessman who's earning a lot of money, he thinks he can just mess around with you like that? He better not forget that before all of this, he was a nobody. He was only able to make a name for himself in the culinary industry because of your connections! Because you introduced him to the famous chef that we featured in one of our issues last year." She added. 

"Ugh, I want to strangle him with my bare hands right now!"

"Calm down, Son Mi. Everything's going to be alright." Ih Na replied. "I guess I had done something wrong along the way, as well. Maybe I was too focused on my work, maybe-" 

"Mwo _(What)?" Son Mi said in disbelief. "Are you listening to yourself right now, Ih Na? Why would you blame yourself for the break up? I have been your best friend long enough to know that you aren't the one at fault here." She added. "You gave him everything, Ih Na. You even changed into an entirely different person for him, to the point that you actually pretended that you liked to cook even when you knew deep down that you hated it! Come on, you aren't to blame here. Don't be like that."

Tears started falling from Ih Na's eyes as she heard this. Yes, Son Mi was right. She did give Yong Hwa everything. Everything that he asked for, everything he wanted, everything he needed, to the point where there were some days where she did not have anything left for herself physically and emotionally. She would feel a bit empty inside no matter how often they kissed, hugged or interacted, but Ih Na simply thought that it was all a part of being in love. She was too blinded to realize that these were all red flags, signs that she needed to break things off already. 

"Ih Na, I don't mean to add salt to your wound, but as your best friend, you deserve to know the truth." Son Mi added. "Yong Hwa was a nice guy before he rose to fame. He may have been a bit stiff to begin with, but he was very reliable and considerate of you. But then, when you were going up the work ladder and became the editor in chief of Love Korea, while he was struggling as a chef in the restaurant he was in, there was a part of him that got jealous of you. He didn't like that you were becoming more successful than him, considering that he is the man in the relationship, after all." 

"So instead of loving you, he used you for his own benefit and now that he seems to have everything in the world, he drops you like hot potatoes. Isekiya _{(That bastard)}." Son Mi cursed. "I really tried to play blind and deaf over all these observations because I didn't want you to think that I wasn't supportive of you, but now that he's done this, I just can't be nonchalant anymore, Ih Na."

"It's okay, really. I appreciate it." Ih Na said, wiping the tears that had fallen off of her eyes. "I just can't believe I was stupid enough to believe that he actually loved me." She added. 

"Maybe he did. It's just that... he got lost along the way and decided to take another path. The one away from you." Son Mi sighed. "But you know what," She added, holding on to her best friend's hand. "You're right. In time, everything's going to be alright and your pain is going to make sense. You're going to meet someone new, and that someone will make you realize how it truly feels to be loved purely and honestly."

"Oh Son Mi, I'm not even thinking about dating anymore. I just want to give my heart a break. A looong break." Ih Na uttered, managing to laugh at her misery. 

"Well, that's how it is at the beginning of every break up." Son Mi said. "Just take your precious time."

Ih Na nodded in reply. 

"But if I may say... assist Rae Won. Grab that opportunity to do something out of the ordinary, to take a break."

"Son Mi-"

"Op, it's my turn to interrupt you now." Son Mi said triumphantly. "It's been years since you last took a break from work. With everything that you're going through right now, a break is what you need. I mean, it won't feel like a break anyway since you'll be 'helping out'. Come on, you'll get to travel, have some fun, flirt with a new guy." 

"Son Mi ya."

"I'm kidding." The latter laughed. "But really, though. Do it. I mean, who knows right? It might just help you recover from all of this."

Ih Na looked at her best friend meaningfully and replied. 

"I'll think about it, okay?"

While Ih Na and Son Mi were having deep conversations over coffee, Rae Won decided to annoy his best friend, Park Bom So, by going on his daily routine of visiting Happy Bread, his best friend's bakery, before heading home. 

As soon as the door chimes started clinking and Bom So saw that it was Rae Won who had come in, he jokingly grabbed a small paper bag and started putting in all the remaining bread that they had for the day. 

"Chosuhamnida _{(I'm very sorry)}, but we've closed already. You can come back tomorrow." Bom So said in a serious tone which made Rae Won laugh.

"Ya ahjussi, the door sign says you close at 8 pm. It's only 6:30." He said as he sat down one of the tables nearby. 

Bom So then made a funny face in reply.

"Araso, araso _{(Okay, okay)}. You do know that even when we're closed, you're still welcome here right? It's not as if I have any other choice." He said, preparing some bread and hot coffee for his best friend. 

"I know you can't live a day without seeing me, Bom So oppa." Rae Won joked. 

"Gumanhae _{(Stop it)}. You're scaring me." Bom So joked right back, playfully shivering as he laid down the tray on the table. He then took the seat across Rae Won and loosened his apron. 

"So, how are the earnings today? Have you recovered from yesterday's slump?" Rae Won asked as he took a bite of the bread. 

"Well, it's okay. But people are still flocking to the new bakery across us because of their ciabatta bread." Bom So answered. "It's our loyal customers that are saving us right now, but of course that doesn't include you, because you're a freeloader."

Rae Won laughed. 

"But kidding aside, I'm a bit fearful you know. Happy Bread has been my baby ever since we got out of college. I really can't imagine closing this down." Bom So said.

"Keokjeongma _{(Don't worry)}. It won't." Rae Won assured his best friend. "That new bakery right across you? Just give it a few months. People around the area know that the bread here tastes a lot better than the rest. And don't get me started with your pizza bread. I dream of that every night."

Bom So laughed. 

"Dashi, gumanhae _{(Again, stop it)}. You're scaring me." He said. 

When a comfortable silence fell upon them, Bom So cleared his throat to get another conversation going. He was quite hesitant about it, but he knew he had to bring it up anyway. 

"Rae Won ah, Yu Mi passed by this morning." Bom So said, referring to Kim Yu Mi, Rae Won's ex-girlfriend. 

At the sound of her name, Rae Won flinched a little, as if it had been his body's natural reaction to do so. He didn't exactly have the best memories with her, after all. Who would want to remember an ex who had gotten impregnated by another man and pretended that it was yours, right?

"O, chincha _{(Oh, really)}? Waeyo _(Why)?" Rae Won asked. 

"Apparently, she and her baby daddy are living in an apartment nearby. Aish, if only she wasn't pregnant, I would've given her rotten bread." Bom So said, obviously still pissed at how Yu Mi had fooled them all. 

"Let's just leave her be. If she's happy with her new life, then I'm happy for her as well." Rae Won replied. 

"You know, you really are unbelievable... in a good way." Bom So uttered. "After all the pain she had caused you, after all those sleepless nights, here you are... still managing to be happy for her. Why is that?"

Rae Won shrugged. 

"I guess it's because I've accepted the fact that some things just aren't meant to be, and that people come into our life either as a blessing or as a lesson." He replied. "Obviously, she was a lesson to not love too much and not to trust so easily, and I can most definitely say that I've learned."

"Wow." Bom So uttered. "You make me so proud." 

"Gumanhae _{(Stop it)}. You're scaring me." Rae Won joked, making the situation light again. 

"Anyway, were you able to return the handphone?" Bom So asked. 

"Yeah, I did." Rae Won answered. "And funny thing is that, she's actually the editor in chief of Love Korea. You know, the magazine that called me up for a photospread from weeks back?"

"Omo omo omo omo," Bom So replied, his eyes widening dramatically. "It's written in the stars!"

"I'm just amused with her, that's all." Rae Won smiled.

Bom So shot his best friend with a look that showed him how unconvinced he was. 

"Rae Won ah, I've known you before you even said your first word. I can see heart shapes forming in your eyes at the mere thought of her." He teased. "If you like her, just go for it, you know. It's been a year since you last dated anyway. It's time for you to make some new memories."

Rae Won simply laughed as he took a sip of his coffee. 

"Who knows right? Im Na might just be the one for you."

"It's Ih Na, not Im Na." Rae Won corrected his best friend. 

"Araso, araso _{(Okay, okay)}. I'll get your future wife's name right next time. No need to go bananas over it." Bom So joked as he stood up, patted his best friend's arm and proceeded to clean up the counters.

As Rae Won remained seated, he suddenly thought of Ih Na. Where she was, who she was with and how she was doing. It might have sounded a bit weird, but he did hope that even just for a moment, he too crossed her mind, that same way she did in his.