A feeling of nostalgia grew on Hae In as she talked to her best friend over the phone, telling her of her encounter with GOT7 and, most importantly, Yu Gyeom's surprise visit at the museum during which she had learned about the romantic feelings that he had had for her when they were younger.

The conversation led her to try and recall the moments that she had spent with him in order to analyze these memories from a new perspective. But she could not find any clues of his interest in her. From what she remembered, their relationship had never gone beyond friendship. Therefore, in spite of her inability to consider the past in a different light, she let herself be fooled into imagining an alternative present, a life in which the teenage version of Yu Gyeom would have confessed to her so that they would have been together for the rest of their lives. Contrary to her principles, Hae In put aside her rational nature to indulge in the power of the term 'if', making use of the conditional tense to modify her life.

If Yu Gyeom had let her know his feelings, she would have dated him. If they had been a couple, they would have been in a happy relationship to this day. After having dated for a couple of years, they would probably have planned their wedding. And if she had married him...

The days passed but Hae In's imagination was as lively as ever. Especially since Yu Gyeom had developed the habit of sending her a quote or a short message every morning as a renewal of his promise to maintain their bond of friendship. Her only escape in face of these conditions was to root herself into reality, that was why she had finally accepted to be introduced to the handsome single friend of one of her colleagues. She hoped to get rid of her fantasies through that meeting because she was convinced that Yu Gyeom's feelings had faded over time, besides, his status of a celebrity prevented him from dating anyone freely. These multiple reasons had driven her to dress beautifully in order to catch the eyes, or maybe the heart, of her blind date.

A few minutes later, she followed her colleague inside a coffee shop where a tall, fair-skinned and brown-haired man was waiting for them at a table nearby the counter. Introductions were made, banalities were exchanged, and as the mood settled in, Hae In was left alone with her suitor after her colleague insisted on granting them some privacy.

. . .

Yu Gyeom hid his face behind a cap and a mask before stepping inside the coffee shop. His band mates, who were gathered at the practice room, had requested him to buy them cold drinks after he had lost at a game. Fortunately, there was not a long line of people in front of the counter, so he would be able to place his orders quickly and get back to the agency's building. He decided to busy himself with his phone during the wait when a melodious laughter reached his ears, causing him to lift up his face so as to follow the source of the sound, only to find that Hae In was sitting a few meters away from him. She was accompanied by a man with whom she seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, and the sight somehow made him feel down.

His observation was momentarily interrupted by the monotone voice of the waitress who greeted him politely before asking about his orders, but his gaze drifted back to the couple as soon as he stepped away from the counter. His eyes remained fixed on them as he waited for his drinks. He felt his heart twist in pain whenever Hae In swept her hair back with a flick of her wrist, because he was disappointed not to be the one for whom she behaved seductively.

He stared at her helplessly until he was called away to pick up his beverages. He was left with no other choice but to turn around after one last glance in her direction, and walk away with heavy steps.

It took him a good twenty minutes to reach the practice room where GOT7 was excitedly waiting for refreshments, which he did not bother to distribute because of his bad mood. He sat on the floor instead, and the others helped themselves to their cups while staring at him. It was evident that he was upset, but when he refused the iced chocolate that Jin Young was handing him, the group understood that there was a serious issue at hand. The change of mood started affecting all of them, thus Jae Bum decided to question Yu Gyeom who described the scene that he had come upon, earning a couple of unconcerned sighs in response as Jackson argued that there was nothing extraordinary about Hae In being on a date. On the one hand, Yu Gyeom was aware that it was only natural for her to be in a relationship, but on the other hand, he hated the idea of her spending time with a man. Trapped in these conflicting emotions, he groaned frustratedly while throwing his body on the floor at the realization that he could not count on his friends to help him deal with this unexpected jealousy.

On the contrary, they purposefully.

BamBam was the first to speak: "what's with your reaction? Are you upset she has a boyfriend?"

"I'm not upset."

"Yu Gyeomie, don't tell me you're jealous." Jackson said playfully.

"I'm not!"

"You're not interested in her, are you ?"

"Not anymore."

"Then why are you so angry ?"

Yu Gyeom chose not to answer the question, and reached for his phone in his pocket, determined to call Hae In in order to uncover the identity of the man who was with her at the moment, as the rest of the group watched him with round eyes. The call went through after a few rings, and he asked: "Hae In-ah, can we have dinner together ?"

"Sorry, I'm not alone now."

"Oh I see." he said, feigning surprise. "Are you with your boyfriend ?"

"I... um... I'm on a blind date." she replied after a moment of hesitation.

A feeling of discomfort spread through his chest upon hearing her answer. Thankfully, she did not seem to notice his trouble and kept talking even though he was not in a state to grasp the meaning of her words. He managed to say something when she apologized again, and ended the call almost immediately.

His friends stared at him, awaiting a reaction or an explanation, as though they were deeply interested in the outcome of the interaction. But Yu Gyeom did not want to talk more, in fact his only desire was to escape his ambiguous feelings with the help of a warm shower and a comfortable bed.

. . .

Another week passed and all of her mornings started with a short text from Yu Gyeom. It had become such an essential part of her routine that she found herself unconsciously waiting for his greeting message. She longed for his words, or she longed for him. Unfortunately, they had not met since he had visited her at the museum, that was why she wanted to make use of her day off to go out with him. It was also her chance to make up for that one time she had refused his dinner invitation.

He replied to her text a few seconds after she had sent it and, to her biggest surprise, invited her to the set of GOT7's upcoming music video. Hae In read the proposition over and over again. And without an ounce of hesitation, she sent a reply to agree on meeting him in the afternoon at the filming location.

By the time of the appointment, she had put on casual yet fashionable clothes, applied a light make-up, and rode a taxi to the address mentioned in his last message. Her hands became moist with sweat once she stood in front of a huge building for she did not know whether she had to enter by herself or wait for someone to come to her. Eventually, her worries faded after a man, whom she suspected to belong to the filming crew, met her outside. And so she followed him to a crowded room where she immediately spotted Yu Gyeom dancing in the middle of a décor.

She took slow steps in his direction until she merged into the mass of staff members. A smile crept up to her face once she stood close enough to have a good view on the talented artist whom she could not believe was the same person who had been her classmate.

His movements were elaborate, his demeanor professional, and his looks undeniably attractive. But the aura that emanated from him was something that she was familiar with. His passion for dance had remained the same and, in that, Hae In was able to recognize the student she had befriended. The more she appreciated the way he found pleasure in dancing, the more she realized that he had not changed much. It was certain that his life had changed since he had become an idol, but he was still the young boy who rejoiced in creating choreographies, producing music, or spending time and efforts in perfecting his skills. He was still the friend in whom she had confided, with whom she had grown to become more mature, and whom had always been an important person in her life. He was still himself.

. . .

Hae In became the center of attention with GOT7 members surrounding her. All of them were having dinner together in a comfortable and warm atmosphere. To Yu Gyeom's relief, she easily participated in the conversation and even cracked a joke or two. It was a pleasant sight for him considering that he wished for her to be close to his friends, even though he was reluctant to admit that them being on good terms was a simple excuse for him to consider Hae In as a potential love interest. Indeed, GOT7 was his family and as such, if they approved of her, it would enable him to further explore his feelings.

He watched on lovingly as his friends interacted with her, until he was reminded that Jackson was that member of the family who never lost a chance to embarrass him:

"So, would you say Yu Gyeom is your ideal type ?"

Hae In made a brief eye contact with her old friend before looking towards the person who had questioned her: "I don't have an ideal type. I think I'll recognize my soul mate when I'll meet him."

"Does that mean you're still single ?"

"I am." she nodded, then added with a smile, "but I don't plan on being single much longer 'cause I'm going on blind dates these days."

"Really ? Then, would you consider me a proper suitor ?" Mark asked in a sweet voice with a wink to Yu Gyeom who was annoyed by the question.

Hae In raised her eyebrows in defiance, and said: "name someone who wouldn't date Mark Tuan!"

"What about Yu Gyeom ?" Jackson asked again.

This time, she kept her gaze on her friend for a longer moment, and Yu Gyeom felt his heart pound as he awaited her answer. "Yu Gyeom is..." she stared off into space for a second, then looked straight into his eyes. "He's definitely boyfriend material."

"Aiya! I knew it!" Jackson exclaimed victoriously.

"You should go on a date with him." Jae Bum suggested.

"Should I ?" she asked, playfully.

"Yes, we should, and we will." was Yu Gyeom's heartfelt response.

A date with Hae In was a tremendously interesting opportunity for Yu Gyeom who believed that it would enable him to sort out his feelings for her now that he had no other choice but to acknowledge that something about him, his mind or his heart, had changed ever since she had entered his life again. He used to be very much in love with her, and he still remembered the many hours he had spent picturing himself as her boyfriend, for he wished to take care of her and make her feel loved. And it appeared that these wishes remained dear to his heart even now. Hae In was the only person to whom he had been attracted throughout his life. Indeed, his career had kept him so busy that he had not had the time to develop an interest in another woman, or was it that he had never met anyone who seemed good enough in comparison to his high school crush.

Although he was unsure of the reason why he had never thought of anyone else romantically, he was determined to use the second opportunity that life had granted him in order to get to know his own heart and find out if Hae In was still, after all these years, his one and only true love.