“You’re Kai?” Tae-yeon confronted him. “You know, you’re so stupid. There’s this woman who loves you. She’s pretty like me, she’s nice like me, and she’ll go to any length just to have you. She even planned on asking these delicious hunks to help her get you. It’s really not my style but I think it’s the greatest thing a woman would ever do for a man. Where can you find that kind of girl? Don’t be a fool. Too bad, you’re handsome. And why are you torturing her like that, huh? It is so obvious that you also love her, well, based on what these delicious hunks said earlier. So, if I were you, I’d stop being a jerk and start sweeping her off her feet.” Tae-yeon took IU’s coffee. “Whew, it’s difficult to teach a kid.”

“You’re good,” Baekhyun said and then he faced Kai. “Do we still need to interject more scolding?”

Kai didn’t react. After a while, he sighed and faced his friends. “Can you please leave us first?”

“No, we’ll stay here,” denied by Gikwang. “We want to make sure that your mind and your heart is on the right track. Go on, talk now.”

“All right, how about this?” Kai faced IU with full attention. “Jieun, I can’t find any sensible reason why you should stay with me. But I know that I just can’t let you go. I need you. I cannot live without you in my life. I love you, too. I love you more than you could love me. I don’t know how to measure how I feel about you. And I’m sorry if I ignored your confession. In fact, it just scared me.”

“Scared? Why, did I point a shotgun at you when I bared my feelings?”

“No. But the fact that the woman I always knew I could never have told me she loves me… it was just too much for me. I became too happy. And then, I suddenly felt frightened. I told you once that I know all the things that can harm your feelings. I don’t want the day to come that I’ll be the one to hurt you. I cannot forgive myself if ever that happens. That’s how much you mean to me, Jieun. I don’t know if you can understand my logic. I really don’t want to see you get upset. You know my entire history when it comes to women. I’m not that good. And… I don’t want to hurt you.”

She didn’t say anything. She only wants to listen. And it also seems that he knows he needs so much explaining to do. But she knew, deep inside her heart, that she already accepted whatever reason he had and will have in the future. That was how much she loved him.

“It’s not true that I don’t remember all the little things about you. I remember everything about you. Your scent, your smile, you laughter… your favorite colors are red and yellow, the thing that could make you cry is seeing your favorite dog died. You were thirteen back then. You cried your heart out to me.”

“And you helped me burying him.”

“I still remembered where it was buried. ‘Wanna visit him?”

“W-why…?”
 

“It’s because it is those little things that made me closer to you than anyone else. I purposely forget it since I don’t want you to notice that I saw you more than a friend.”

And it was those little sweet gestures that always crept into her heart. And maybe that is also the same thing that made her fall for him little by little. God! How she loved this stupid man!

“Why didn’t you tell me that you have feelings for me way back then?”

“If I did that, will you believe in me?”

She didn’t answer. Thinking back, he has a reason. During those days, he keeps on wittingly tell her that he likes her. And none of those things made her believe him. She keeps on obstructing him.

“You were a bit cold back then, IU. I always tell that to