"He confessed to me today" I said, my eyes are fixed of my fidgeting fingers.

"He did what?" Taehyung looked shocked with what I've said. "He confessed to me today"

Taehyung is standing still at his position, crossing his arms. After a few minutes of him staring silently at me, he lets out a sigh. "So? Do you have feelings towards that guy?"

"I don't know," I looked up at Taehyung. He remains silent and stares into my eyes as if he knows that that's not the answer I'm going to say. "Well, I do find him attractive. I think I have a crush on him" Taehyung's face changed as he heard my reply. His eyebrows are furrowed and he lets out another sigh. He leaned in and ruffled my hair.

"I guess there's nothing I can do, right?" He said, he sounds hopeless. "Well, as long as he can takes good care of you, I think that's good enough for me" He smiles softly at me. "Tae..."

"But it's still a bit too much that he confessed this early" Taehyung turned his heels around and walks towards our home. Taehyung and I live next to each other. Sometimes he would come over to my house to have a meal, and it works vice versa. We've known each other for quite a long time, we literally look like a family. It's just that I have a very stunning guy as my best friend. Sometimes I wonder what I've done in my past life to deserve this life. "Maybe I saved the country in my past life" I muttered under my breath.

"Did you say something?" Taehyung asked. "Ah! No! I said nothing" I quickly denied. "Is your parents home?" Taehyung asked as we slowly approaching our houses. "I think they're out working again" I answered after looking at my quiet, lights out house. My parents are both busy parents. My dad works as lawyer and my mom is a doctor who's working at the emergency. My dad rarely comes home and my mom literally goes back and forth to the hospital most of the times. But I remember that they will always complain about how much they want to be home and spend time together.

"I think you can come over—" Taehyung was talking when suddenly a petite figure approached us. "Pearl! Come over here for dinner! Your parents are not home, right?" The pretty lady said. It's Taehyung's mom. Even though she's aging, she still looks youthful as if she's aging backwards. "That's what I wanted to say" Taehyung added. I smile at both of them. "Sure! I'll go wash up and I'll come over after that". I looked at Tae and give him a pat on the arm before excusing myself into my house.

I quickly rushed upstairs into my room and quickly took a bath. I really love Tae's mom's cooking. It feels really homey, and delicious. They always welcome me into their house and I feel warmth every time that happens. Since my parents are rarely home, Tae's house became my second home.

---

"You're fast" Taehyung said as he sees me standing in front of their gate. "I am always fast, though" I smirked at him and entered his house once he has opened the gate. "What's your mom cooking today?"

"It's your favourite" He answered as we walked towards the kitchen. "Pearl is here!" Taehyung shouted to let his family knows. "Welcome dear!" His mom greeted me as she walks out of the kitchen and gives me a hug. "It's fried rice" She smiles as she takes me into the kitchen. "Hello Uncle" I greeted Tae's father. "Hello Pearl! Come, have a sit" He smiled as he pulled the chair. I mumbled a thank you and make myself comfortable at the dining table.

"How are you dear?" Tae's mom asked. She brings more side dishes onto the table. I stare at the amount of side dishes that she serves on the table. It's honestly more than enough. "I'm good. How are you Aunty?"

"I'm as good as ever" She smiles as wide as possible. "Go, go. Eat a lot" She said as she pulls the chair to let herself settle down at the dinner table. We are sitting surrounding the dinner table, we make conversations here and there while at it. The chatters filled the dining area, with Taehyung's mom cracking jokes here and there. She even asked if I would accept if Taehyung asked me out. Taaehyung quickly pat her mom's hand, indicating her to stop with such questions.

"Why not?" She laughed.

Taehyung looks at me, apologetic about his mother's question. I was into the conversation so much that I almost didn't notice that I received a new message in my phone. Taehyung slightly glance at my phone screen before nudging me with his elbow, pointing the screen with his eyes. I turned to look at the phone screen, and saw Hyungsik's message appears.

"I'll view it later" I mouthed at Taehyung. He slightly nods his head before putting another side dish into his mouth. Time went by as we were talking and eating, without realizing, we have finished the meal clean. "I'll do the dishes" I volunteered. Tae's mom argued with me at first but she gave up when Tae volunteered himself to help me with the dishes, as well.

She left our alone in the kitchen as she went into the living room with Tae's dad. "I'll do the dishes" Taehyung said, taking the plates off my hands. "I wanted to do it since your mom has cooked"

"You'll just sit there and wait for me to finish" He said, putting the plates into the sink. He puts on gloves before washing the dishes. I pulled one of the chairs and look at him as he work. No matter how many times these thoughts crossed my mind, or no matter how long I've been friends with Tae, I still found myself couldn't believe that he's my best friend. Thinking about it, a smile plastered across my face.

Staring at him, he suddenly speaks up. "You haven't reply his text yet". He washes one of the dishes and put it on the dish rack. "Ah," I sit straight back up, shoving my hand into my pocket to look for my phone. Pulling it out, I unlocked my phone and viewed his text.

'Are you still awake?' the text reads. Clicking on the screen, I began typing. "You have a crush on him, right?" Taehyung asked, putting another clean dish on the rack and looks at me. My eyes are glued into his. "How do you know?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

He turned back and continues his works. "I just do" He replied, simply. I let out a sigh and nodded my head. Of course he does. We have been friends for a long time; he could definitely read my face like an open book. Staring at my phone screen, Hyungsik's confession comes back into my mind uninvited. That confession alone makes me think very hard, to the point that I couldn't focus on my surrounding whenever that thought comes up.

"What do you think I should do?" I muttered. My hands are still holding onto my phone, the screen still flashes the chatroom I have with Hyungsik. Taehyung didn't say anything in a very long time, he still does his works without muttering anything back. He takes off the gloves when he was finally done, putting it aside on the kitchen counter.

Pulling the chair next to me, he sits on it as he faces me. He leans against the back of the chair, his hands rest on his thigh and he laces his fingers. He stares at me without saying anything for the first few minutes. During this quiet moment, I slowly capture the features that my best friend possesses. He looks extremely charming even when he was staying still, like a character from comic that comes into real life.

I could feel as if his presence alone is screaming attractiveness. He tilted his head slightly to the side and he exhaled. "Do you like him?"

"I think so I do" I replied. He lets out another sigh while still looking stunning. "To be honest, I don't like the way that he confessed so fast. But probably he has been looking at you for who knows how long. So probably he has finally gets his courage to confess to you now" Tae stated his speculation.

He stares at the table before speaking up again. "If you like him," He stopped. "—maybe you should choose what's best for you. I'll be with you with whatever decisions you made" He smiles. He patted my head softly. "But he better be taking good care of you well, if not, I'll have to snatch you away from him" He said. We laughed at his words. "But really, I mean it" He said again.

I nodded my head. He patted my arm softly before standing up from his chair. He said he'll send me home even though my house is just right next to him. "I still don't like him, okay?" He pouted his mouth. I laughed at him and patted his head. I said thank you to his parents and excused myself to go home. He did send me back home, waits in front of my gate until I was inside. I went up to my room, closing the door behind and throw myself on the bed.

I opened my phone and write a message and clicked the send button. 'I accept your confession'.

---

I say goodbye to my parents as they went up to their room. I went outside of my house and sit on the bench that we have outside. A cup of hot tea in my hands, I stare at the sky in a long time. Several thoughts are running inside my head. Several stars on the sky are seen blinking brightly. Silence wrapped my surrounding. I took out my phone out of my pocket and scroll through my gallery.

There are a lot of my pictures with Pearl. As I scrolled through the pictures, a sigh escaped my lips. I stare at a picture of us when we were at my house, having barbeque as dinner few months back. "I guess my biggest fear is happening," I mumbled to myself softly.

"My crush develops feelings towards another guy" I shut my phone down and put it aside on the bench. At this very moment, even when my fear has finally happened, I still couldn't gather the courage to tell her what I feel about her. I still couldn't be brave enough to choose that option. I looked up at the sky again, lost in my thoughts.

I feel like a loser. Compared to that Hyungsik guy, I'm a loser to not be able to do what he did. I don't want to lose Pearl and ruined our friendship. But choosing that decision, I have to bear another thing that I fear; the thing that is happening now, losing Pearl to someone else.

I feel as if my shoulders are crashed down by heavy stones. Deep inside me, I feel mixed feelings that I couldn't describe. Will I be able to bear looking at her standing next to someone else? I scoffed at my own thoughts. "You're such a loser, Taehyung". Mumbled under my breath, I took a sip of my tea.

I sit there alone in the quiet night, letting myself get swollen alive by my own thoughts; wishing that all these are just dreams that I have to wake up from.

---

p/s: hey there! I hope you like the book so far. Please leave some comments because I'll be reading the comments quietly and leave some votes <3 thank you for reading my books.