It had been two weeks since the last time Myung Soo and Eun Ae had met at her coffee shop. Two weeks during which they had not texted nor called each other. Myung Soo could not recall the last time they had been apart for so long. He had not meant to hurt her with his words but Eun Ae had always been impulsive and her reactions were often exaggerated. These days, he battled against himself not to call her, repeatedly finding himself staring at his phone for minutes as his sense of pride held him back. He expected her call since she had told him not to contact her. On the other hand, he knew well that she was reckless. She probably had not meant what she had said. But he could not bring himself to make the first step towards reconciliation. He was looking at his phone again when it finally went off, notifying an incoming call from the one who had been on his mind for the past days.

"Myung Soo... Myung Soo Oppa~"

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me, why are you calling ?"

"Myung Soo Oppa..." he imagined that she was titling her head to the side while talking, as an effort to behave cutely.

"What ?"

"I'm sorry Myung Soo. I miss you."

"Come over, we'll talk."

The call was not even disconnected that the door bell rang. He held back his smile and walked towards the door which he opened slightly to see Eun Ae standing on the other side, her hands were joined together in an apologetic gesture.

"I'm not sure I should let you come in."

"We can talk here." she shrugged, but smiled victoriously, "your neighbors will find out they live next to an idol and I bet your fans will be excited when the press releases your address."

"Is that a threat ?"

"Of course not! I'm just saying we can stand here and talk."

"Idiot." he whispered before stepping aside to let her enter the apartment.

She was welcomed by Byul who rubbed its head against her legs until she crouched down to take the cat in her arms. It made Myung Soo happy to see that he was not the only one who had missed his friend. The two of them sat on a couch in the living room while Byul comfortably laid on Eun Ae's laps. They were silent for a moment, in hope that the awkwardness between them would fade away if they acted normal, but it did not take them long to realize that they needed to express their thoughts to get rid of misunderstandings.

Eun Ae was the first to apologize, "I'm sorry. I was angry 'cause what Sun Hee did is unforgivable. I didn't want you to help her, but Jun Seo Oppa told me it was his request."

"I would have supported her even if Jun Seo was against it. Not because I'm on her side, but because they love each other. Do you understand ?"

She responded with a nod.

"They're good friends of mine." he continued, "that's why I don't want them to break up. I know it's tough for Jun Seo, maybe he won't forgive her, but the decision is theirs. We need to help the two of them because they're our friends."

"Sun Hee is your friend but I'm not close to her."

"You're close to Jun Seo and that's enough reason not to make his wife feel miserable."

"Well she wouldn't be sad if she hadn't cheated."

Myung Soo pinched her cheeks in an attempt to erase the pout on her face while saying : "I know, I agree. But your opinion might influence him. What if he leaves her to follow your advice and they get back together after some time ? They'll blame you by then. They'll think you broke them up for whatever reason. I don't want that to happen. So please, don't take your frustration out on Sun Hee, okay ?" he stared into her eyes and added : "I'm just trying to protect you."

"Why are you so wise ?" she said in a sigh.

"I guess I need to be, since you're always childish." he replied mockingly.

In these moments, Myung Soo regarded her as family. She resembled a younger sister who needed to be guided from childhood to adulthood or taught to quit her irresponsible behaviour. It was also in these moments that he reflected upon their harmonious relationship. He taught her to become mature, serious and focused while she taught him to be funny, nonchalant and carefree. The healthy balance of their friendship was one of the reasons why Eun Ae was an essential part of his life.

He snapped out of his thoughts when she said : "You should have been a monk, not a celebrity."

"Nah... that's not for me." 

"Why not ?" she chuckled.

"You'd be lonely if I lived in a faraway temple."

"Or you'd be desperate not to have any fangirl."

"Maybe." he admitted with a sly smile, "life would be lame without my dear fans."

"Do you think I'd be famous if they knew you became an idol thanks to me ? If only they knew their beloved L was too shy to sing in front of an audience and I was the one who signed you up for the audition. Basically, you owe me your career."

"Yeah, I admit that."

"Then... how about you transfer half of your wage to me ?"

"And you'll give me half of yours 'cause I always try your new recipes ?"

He was pleased by the fact that she was unable to reply. He squeezed her cheeks softly and said : "You shouldn't try to tease me because I'll always win."

"If only your fans knew how evil you are."

"They'd only like me more." he smirked at his remark.

The two of them continued talking, laughing and teasing one another some more. They were able to put aside their disagreement as well as the conflict between their friends in the time spent together. But the issue soon resurfaced in the form of a text message sent by Myung Soo's manager. It consisted of a link to the website of a popular tabloid. Myung Soo clicked the link curiously, but his enthusiasm disappeared at the sight of the title written in big bold letters :

KIM MYUNG SOO DESTROYS FORMER PRODUCER PARK'S MARRIAGE

He was too shocked to read the content of the article, but the illustrations were explicit enough. There were several photographs of Sun Hee and him, in the parking lot of her residence, in his car, in Eun Ae's coffee shop. It was suggested that the photographs had been taken during their secret dates. Another proof was presented, it was a screenshot of Jun Seo's lattest post on social media in which he acknowledged the precarious state of his marriage.

Up until that moment, Myung Soo had always known the bright side of notoriety and had almost forgotten that an idol's rights to privacy were violated sometimes. Little did he know his involvement in the dark world of scandals would result in constant worries and fear, but most surprisingly, in an unexpected bloom of love.