--Donghae’s POV--

            “Noona, can you give me some, umm, ‘life’ advice?”

            My all-knowing big sister looked up and walked over to sit next to me. “What is it, Fishy? You’ve been sort of depressed lately,” she said, ruffling my hair.

            “Noona… my best friend is being stalked by a girl, and I don’t get to spend as much time with him anymore. I’ve tried to force myself onto him, (oh wait, that sounded weird), but he is always busy. Now I’ve given up. Was that the right choice?”

            She hugged me comfortingly. “Did he go after you? You know, try to get you back? Or was he not bothered at all by the fact that you’d given up? If he noticed and tried to change, that shows he really cares for your friendship.”

            Friendship…? Oh yeah, that’s what it is… I think my problem reaches beyond being friends…… Eunhyuk is so nice. Even though he is annoyed by Eva, he still puts up with her and goes along with whatever she says. That makes me wonder… does he truly like my company, or is he just “tolerating” me like he is with Eva?

            He glanced at his noona, who was waiting patiently for him to finish sorting out his thoughts. He realized that he still didn’t answer her question!

            “Well, he pursued me after school today… but I didn’t compromise with him. It’s either all or nothing! I won’t be the one hanging out with him only when he has nobody else! We used to spend all our time together! Now… I have a girlfriend, he has a stalker… we’re drifting apart. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose touch completely.”

His sister smiled and rubbed his back. “If he chased after you, then he definitely wants you back. You have a girlfriend now, I’m sure she is taking up some time that you used to spend with Eunhyuk. As more and more obstacles come into your lives, you can’t give up on things that you treasure. Friends have to be flexible and persistent. Isn’t spending a little time together better than no time at all? Right now, it sounds like you’re avoiding him because you two are drifting apart. But the way I see it, you’re contributing to that… Don’t refuse his offers. He is trying to get close to you again. Don’t shut him out because you guys can’t have what you had before. I think you hurt his feelings. Always communicate and express your problems.”

            Donghae sighed. It’s not that easy. There are some… feelings that I haven’t accounted for yet. Should I tell him? Noona says it’s always better to express your feelings, but… what if I screw everything up? Oh well, I’ll just stick to Sunny. She’s not a bad girlfriend or anything… It’s just that it hurts my heart to see Eunhyuk with Eva… What’s wrong with me? I know he despises her! But how can I approach him again, and as friends, while carrying these feelings in my heart?