Eun Ae stood before the facade of the shop as she recalled the events of the previous night. She had allowed her employees to end their shift early for she needed to work on a new coffee recipe, but once she had completed her task, she had been surprised to find a crowd of journalists in front of the building. Fortunately, she had seen them from afar so she had remained hidden inside. She had not called Myung Soo out of fear, but had requested his help because she had been startled by the sight of cameras and microphones. It had not taken him long to barge in the shop and lead her outside so they could face the crowd together. His grip on her hand had been so tight that it had almost hurt her. She had watched him threaten the journalists to take action if they were to bother her again, and she remembered that she had impressed by his masculinity. She blushed at the thought that, for a brief second, she had not recognized her best friend but had met the charismatic and menacing L. And this unknown facet of his personality was deeply rooted in her mind.

She emerged from her memories upon receiving a light tap on the shoulder. Her parents were standing next to her. She hugged them and kissed their cheeks before inquiring about their presence once they sat together and ordered three green tea lattes. Her mother frowned while explaining that they had no other choice but to come all the way there because their unfilial daughter did not visit her parents with her boyfriend for a formal introduction. She did not have time to think of an excuse before her father added that Myung Soo probably did not have much free time. She smiled at his remark. Her father had always been the most understanding of her parents. During her childhood, her mother had often complained about low grades whereas her father had blamed the complexity of school programs. Her mother had been concerned by others' opinions when she had quit college in order to work in a bakery, yet her father had encouraged her to pursue her passion. And now, he was speaking wisely instead of blaming Myung Soo, which made Eun Ae feel proud.

She maintained her composure despite the shock that came upon her at her mother's next words.

"When will we plan the wedding if they never visit us..."

"Whose wedding are you talking about ?" Won Shik's question earned him a desperate look from his wife. She hit his forehead with her fingers as she stated on a matter-of-factly tone that she was referring to their daughter's wedding.

"Mom, I'm not gettin' married."

"You're not getting married yet." Hwa Young corrected, "but you will, very soon. You should marry before you turn 30 'cause the more you age, the more your pregnancy will be at risk."

"Mom! I don't wanna have children."

"Oh honey... I know, I know." she nodded while speaking in a sweet voice, "you're young, you're in love, you want to enjoy your life. But you'll have to settle down at some point. You'll want a wedding, a house, a baby." she insisted on the last word as if it would help Eun Ae change her mind.

The latter felt betrayed when her father nodded in approval. He had always been on her side, but his desire to hold his grandchild in his arms caused him to side with his wife for once.

Eun Ae had not anticipated her parents' wishes when she had chosen not to let them know about her agreement with Myung Soo, and she almost regretted it. Their fantasies of marriage and children were uncomfortable to listen to. But she stayed silent, half listening, half busy with her drink, until her father said something that caught her interest.

"I always knew you'd be with Myung Soo."

"I knew it too." her mother agreed. "I'm glad you realized your own feelings, Eun Ae. The way you look at him is so special. If it's not true love, I don't know what it is."

"Nonsense! Myung Soo and I are just friends." her eyes widened at the realization of what she had said.

Thankfully, her parents did not notice her trouble, and her father argued : "Myung Soo loved you even when you were friends."

"He did. I remember he was often sad when you were dating Hyun Woo, but he was a lot more lively when you broke up."

"He was always mad when someone was interested in you."

"Or when you had a crush on a guy." Hwa Young clapped her hands joyfully. "How many times has our Eun Ae cried because he scared those guys away ?"

Hwa Young and Won Shik felt happy to reminisce their daughter's past. They had been the first to decipher the growth of complex emotions in the youngsters' hearts. But they did not guess that Eun Ae was still unaware of these signs of blossoming love, nor did they know that their revelation aroused their daughter's curiosity.

. . .

Eun Ae arrived home to the sight of Myung Soo napping in an old armchair on the terrace of the rooftop apartment. She put her bag on the floor and sat down next to him, cupping her face with her hands as she stared at him, feeling curious as to why she had never paid close attention to his facial features even though he had always been popular for his looks. She remembered that her friends had all felt jealous after finding out that he was her tutor. Besides, she was well aware that his fans were not only fond of his talents, but of his handsomeness too. Yet she had never taken time to admire him. Perhaps because she had always considered him as a good friend, not as a man. It was difficult for her to do so, specifically when he was sleeping soundly in an ugly armchair, the corners of his mouth damp with saliva, and exhaustion written on his face. She blushed when her gaze fell on his kissable pair of lips, and Myung Soo, who opened his eyes at this moment, discovered that he was being watched by his friend.

"What are you doing ?" his voice sounded husky, probably due to the fact that he had just woken up. It sounded sensual, she thought.

She wanted to hide her confusion but was unable to look elsewhere. Her eyes were glued to his face. "I... I..." she hesitated, at a loss for words.

"Forget it." he shook his head and argued that he needed to tell her something.

Eun Ae was thankful for the change of subject. She composed herself as she listened about his last meeting with his manager. They had come up with a simple solution to handle the doubts of the media and the public : a ten-episode series dedicated to their dates in the most romantic spots of the country. The live broadcast would enable fans to learn about Eun Ae without divulging too much details, so it was an easy means to promote their relationship. She was speechless when he asked for her opinion. She had no complaints about the series, but it entailed that they would have to go on dates. In other words, they would have to behave like a couple and engage in acts of physical affection like holding hands or hugging, and that requirement made her feel nervous. Her anxiety increased when Myung Soo stated that they were going on their first date in the evening. He had heard about an event at Cheonggyecheon Stream that would serve as a perfect background for their first video. He helped up her as he spoke before literally pushing her in the house while asking her to change into a beautiful outfit, then he got his set of clothes from the wardrobe and walked towards the bathroom.

. . .

On the way of the stream, Eun Ae kept mocking his fashion style because he was wearing a pair of black jeans, a black half-sleeve shirt and a black cap. She did not share his love for the color black, on the contrary, she was a colorful type of woman. She was dressed in a short pastel pink dress and her beige heels matched the color of her purse. As for her make-up, she had applied a pale eye shadow, mascara, some blush and a shiny pink lipstick. Myung Soo held her hand to help her out of the car. She felt herself blushing when he intertwined their fingers.

They walked hand in hand towards the stream where a lot of people were gathered to watch the performance of a music band or take photographs of the artificial waterfalls. The color of the water changed every now and then due to several LED lights. Eun Ae had visited Cheonggyecheon in the past, but she had never attended such an event. Similarly to other people, she was impressed by the surroundings and wished to immortalize the moment, so she asked Myung Soo to take a photograph of her. But they were interrupted by two fangirls who approached the idol. She could not help but smile as the girls' eyes lit up when he agreed to sign autographs and take a selfie with them. Soon enough, people's attention were drawn to him and Eun Ae had to patiently wait while he satisfied his fans' requests. Then, as things quieted down, he grabbed her hand to lead her to a secluded area.

They sat on the steps near the flowing water, further away from the crowd. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his left hand against her skin, and his phone in his right hand. He opened a session on V Live and started the video with an introduction of their series concept as well as their location, then he let Eun Ae formally introduce herself to the audience before they expressed their gratitude towards the fans for their understanding. Eun Ae truly felt grateful because their relationship had been blessed by most of the fan base, even though there were some haters too. The live allowed them to answer fans' questions and share anecdotes about their teenage selves and their moments together. Myung Soo concluded the broadcast after twenty minutes by asking his fans to take care of themselves, then he kissed Eun Ae's cheek quickly, resulting in her heart racing and her face reddening.

She was still affected by the unexpected gesture when he ended the recording and placed his phone in his jeans' pocket.

"Thank you." he formed an heart shape with his fingers while flashing her a brilliant smile.

Feeling her heart about to burst out of her chest, she decided that her parents' fantasies were the reason for her unusual feelings. She had seen Myung Soo's cute acts a thousand times. She had seen his face every single day for the past years. She had heard his deep voice whenever they talked. So she could not identify what it was about him that suddenly made her heart race. Although she did not know when it had started, the one thing she was sure of was that she saw him in a different light now.

"Ah right!" he snapped his fingers at the remembrance of the gift he had prepared for her, "I'm taking you on a trip tomorrow."

"What ?"

"I've got a week-end off so we can go on a trip."

"I can't, Oppa. Tomorrow's Saturday, I need to work."

"You're the boss, just take a day off."

"What about the employees ?"

"Text them, I'm sure they'll be happy to stay home for the week-end."

"And my regular clients ?"

He puffed up his cheeks and crossed his arms frustratedly : "you'd rather go to work than on a romantic getaway with your boyfriend."

Oh no, Eun Ae thought as she felt her heart beat irregularly again. She promised to join him in hope that he would stop pouting, and it worked. She was relieved to see him act normal, but she could not grasp any of his words when he started talking about their trip. She was trying to convince herself that there had never been ambiguous feelings between them. Myung Soo was her friend, nothing more, nothing less. And he would remain her friend in the future. He's my best friend, she told herself, my best friend, my boy-, my best-, my boy-friend ?