Seulgi and Hyojoo listened intently as Boa told them her story.

“And that’s how I ended up being his girlfriend!” she finished proudly.

“Aww!” Seulgi and Hyojoo cooed together. “That’s so sweet!”

“Mmm,I know right!” Boa said excitedly. She then turned to Seulgi with a smirk.

“Hey! Since I have a boyfriend, and Hyojoo has a boyfriend, that leaves you all alone, Bae Seulgi!”

Seulgi blushed and Hyojoo snickered. Boa had a confused look on her face.

“What? Did I miss something?!?!?!” she asked in alarm.

Seulgi blushed a deeper shade of red and Hyojoo laughed even harder. Boa bounced up and down on her seat and poked Seulgi repeatedly.

“What is it, what is it, WHAT IS IT?!?!?! TELL ME, TELL ME, TELL ME!!!” she whined.

Seulgi cleared and Hyojoo’s giggles subsided. “Hyojoo can tell you…” she said quietly.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Hyojoo began excitedly. “Remember when she spent the past week teaching Yunho how to ride a bike???”
“Uh huh,” Boa replied. “Go on…”
“Well, while you were with Jaejoong last night, Seulgi came in…”
“Okay, I don’t see where this going!” Boa admitted.
Hyojoo whined and turned to Seulgi. “I at telling stories when I’m excited!! You tell her!”

Seulgi blushed even harder. “Okay, okay.” Then he turned to Boa.

“We were biking yesterday, and we ended up somewhere, sitting and talking…”
“Okay, go on…” Boa continued, while Hyojoo covered .
“So, we were talking about normal stuff until he kissed me…”
“Oh my gosh, he kissed you again?!?!?!” Boa said.
“Wait, I’m not finished yet!” Seulgi shot back.
“Okay, go on.”
“Then…”
“Then…? THEN??? THEN?!?!?!”

“OH, FOR GOODNESS SAKES, HE ASKED HER TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND!!!’ Hyojoo blurted out.

Seulgi gave her a look and Hyojoo returned it with an apologetic face.

“OMG!” Boa said. “So, what did you tell him?”

That was when Hyojoo’s beam turned into a frown.

“I told him I’d think about it…” Seulgi answered.
“Well, do you like him back?” Boa asked.

Seulgi thought for a while. “Yes.”

“THEN WHAT IS THERE TO THINK ABOUT, WOMAN?!?!?!” Hyojoo said, shaking her. “Gosh, when it comes to situations like this, you and Boa are so alike!!!”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Boa said huffily.

Hyojoo shook her off and asked, “If you like him back, then why didn’t you just say yes?”

Now it was Seulgi’s turn to tell her story.

“It all started this morning…” she began.

[Flashback]

Seulgi was called in by the principal on Sunday morning.

She nervously knocked on his door and heard a muffled, “Come in.”

“Anneyong Haseyo,” she bowed before taking her seat in front of his desk.

As soon as she was comfortable, the principal went straight to business.

“So, Ms. Bae…” he began, resting his elbows on the desk, his chin on his hands. “Any plans for college?”

Seulgi slowly nodded and said, “Well, I’ve always wanted to study medicine at Harvard.”

The principal smiled and continued. “And to go to Harvard, I think you ought to gain some experience in a foreign country,” he said.

“So, what do you propose?” she asked him.
The principal rested his arms on the table. “You have been one of the most promising student in the Rising Sun Academy, so I would like to make you an offer…”

Seulgi tilted her head curiously to the side.

“We would like to send you to the states for the rest of the year. You will go to an international school there and will stay with a Korean family. All expenses will be paid and I have already talked to your mother. She said it would be a good experience for you.”

Seulgi was quiet for a while. “Did you just say…for the rest of the year?”

The principal nodded. “I believe so…”

She didn’t know what to say. Truth be told, if she hadn’t met Yunho, she would’ve said yes on the spot, with no regrets. But now that things were going great between them, she wasn’t sure if she wanted this.

“Ms. Bae?” the principal said, pulling her away from her thoughts.
“Mianhamida, but I think I have to think about this offer.”

He nodded in understanding. “Well, by all means, take your time! Just give me your answer as soon as possible. You may go now.”

Seulgi nodded with a weak smile and stood up. She exited the room after bowing.

[End of Flashback]

“Oh, just say NO!!!” said Hyojoo. “YunGi ‘till the end, baby!!!” she exclaimed, punching her fist into the air.

Boa shook her head. “I don’t know how Donghae deals with you.”

Hyojoo huffed and turned to Seulgi. “So, have you thought about it?”

Seulgi was thoughtful for a while. “I actually have…”

“So??? What’ve you decided?” Boa pressed.

Seulgi smiled. “I’m gonna be his girlfriend,” she said finally.

“EEEEEEEE!!!!” her two friends squealed. They bounced excitedly around the room, happy for Seulgi.

…

“So, what happened with you and Boa?” Donghae asked Jaejoong that afternoon.

“Well, she’s my girlfriend now,” he said.
“Awesome!” Donghae said, giving him a hi-five.

Yunho was sitting quietly in a corner, watching the exchanged between the two. He was thinking of the question he asked Seulgi the night before, wondering what her answer would be.

“Yo, Yunho…” Jaejoong called out. “You happy for me???”

“What? Oh, uh…yeah, that’s great man…” he said absently.

Jaejoong turned to Donghae. “What up with him?”

Donghae smirked. “He’s just nervous of what Seulgi’s answer would be…”
Jaejoong looked confused. “What’d I miss?”
“He asked Seulgi to be his girlfriend,” Donghae simply replied.

“Hoho!” Jaejoong hooted in surprise. “Our Yunnie has balls after all!”
“Shut up,” Yunho said inattentively.

“Well, she’ll probably say yes anyway,” Donghae said a matter-of-factly. “It’s obvious that she likes you.”
“You think so?” Yunho asked.
“I know so,” Donghae replied.

…

“Oppa!” Hyojoo greeted, as she ran towards Donghae.

He beamed and opened his arms for a hug. As she was in his arms, he kissed her on the forehead.

“I missed you,” he stated.
“I know,” she said.

They laughed for a while, and walked around, holding hands and swaying them back and forth.

Hyojoo rested her head on Donghae’s shoulder as they did so and sighed contentedly, closing her eyes.

“Is something the matter?” Donghae asked, looking down at her.
She smiled. “Aniyo…I’m just happy I have you, oppa,” she said. Then she looked up at him. “Y’know, I think we’re pretty special,” she stated.
Donghae laughed. “Oh really? And why is that?”
Hyojoo beamed. “Out of all three couples, we were the first one to get together.”
Donghae smiled. “That is pretty special,” he agreed.
“And you know what, we’ll all have happy ending, now that Seulgi’s gonna say yes to Yunho.”
“Yeah--- wait, what?” Donghae said, hearing what his girlfriend just told him.
She laughed excitedly. “They’re gonna be a couple now!’
“That’s great!” he said, happy for his friends.

“But you know what…” Donghae said after a while.
“Mmm?” asked, Hyojoo.
“My favorite couple will always be HyoHae.”

Hyojoo beamed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him full on the lips. “Me too,” she said after they broke apart.

…

Seulgi sprinted in the hallways, looking for Yunho. She wanted to give him her answer.

As she was running, she saw one of her classmates pass by.

“Hey, have you seen Yunho?” Seulgi asked her.
“No, but maybe Donghae and Jaejoong know. They’re in the music room right now.”

Seulgi thanked her and made her way into the music room.

“You know, Yunho told me to forget about the bet…” Jaejoong began. He and Donghae were in the music room, talking alone.

“Huh, oh what?” Donghae said absently. He was looking out the window, thinking about the sweet moment he shared with Hyojoo and how lucky he was to have someone like her by his side.

“You know the bet…” Jaejoong said.

Seulgi kept on running until she reached the music room. She saw that the door was wide open and she saw Jaejoong and Donghae. They were talking to each other, so they didn’t notice her in the door way.

“Remember the bet we made? The one were Yunho bet that he could make Seulgi fall in love with him?” Jaejoong said.

Then, he heard a stifled gasp. He and Donghae turned to the doorway, and saw Seulgi standing there, with a hurt expression on her face. She had been around long enough to hear Jaejoong’s last sentence.

The two guys’ eyes widened as they saw Seulgi and realized that she heard what they were talking about. But before they could stop her, she ran away, tears threatening to flow down her cheeks.

…
Yunho was about to leave his room, until he noticed something shiny, glittering under his bed. Curious, he bent down to see what it was and took it in his hands.

It was the bracelet his grandmother gave him. The one he was supposed to give to the girl he would fall in love with.

He smiled to himself. “Now, I know who I’m gonna give it to.”

He walked down the school halls, the bracelet in his pocket, until he heard someone call his name. It was one of his classmates.

“Seulgi was looking for you just now,” she said.
Yunho thanked her and began to look for Seulgi. It was the perfect time to give her the bracelet.

After a while of searching, he suddenly saw a familiar figure run towards him.

“Seulgi, I was just looki-“ he began, but he was cut off.
“You made a bet on me?!” she said, her eyes beginning to tear up.

Yunho’s eyes widened. “Seulgi, I can explain-“
“What is there to explain about?!?!” she yelled, her voice cracking and filled with hurt. “All this time, you’ve been lying to me! I actually thought you were different and I was stupid enough to believe you!!!”

“Seulgi, if you would just listen-“

“Listen to what?!?! Everything you and I did, was a lie! A big fat, lie!”

“Seulgi, I-“

“Don’t talk anymore, I don’t wanna hear any of this!” she screamed, and ran away, tears falling down in uncontrollable amounts.

Yunho just stood there, watching the girl he loved run away from him. He clutched the bracelet tightly in his hand and walked away, not knowing what to do.

…

Seulgi ran all the way to her dorm room, and lay on her bed, crying into her pillow. She couldn’t believe that everything had to turn out this way.

“Bae Seulgi, you are so stupid,” she scolded herself.

Just then, Hyojoo walked into the dorm room and saw Seulgi crying.

“What happened? Are you okay?” she asked, flying to her side.

Seulgi choked on her tears while telling her everything.

Hyojoo had a look of disbelief on her face. “Donghae oppa was in the bet, too?” she asked quietly.

Seulgi nodded.

“Excuse me,” Hyojoo said, getting up. “I have something to do.”

As she left, Seulgi thought about everything that had just happened. She knew what she had to do. She wiped her tears away and made her way to the principal’s office.”

When she entered the room, all she said to the principal was, “When do I leave?”
Surprised, the principal asked, “Are you accepting my offer?”

“When do I leave?” Seulgi repeated again.
“Tomorrow,” he replied.

Seulgi bowed and exited the room at once.

…

“Hey, beautiful,” Donghae greeted as he met Hyojoo.

“Is it true?” Hyojoo said at once, not even bothering to greet him.

He looked down the floor, knowing what she was talking about. “What would you do if I said yes?”
“I didn’t realize that you’d be the kind of person who’d do something like this…” she said quietly.

“But you have to listen to me, Hyojoo, it’s nothing now!” Donghae said.
“I know…but... I’ve been thinking that…maybe we’ve been going too fast…” she said quietly.

Donghae eyes grew wide. “What do you mean?”
“We’ve only known each other for a few months before we got together, and we didn’t even get to know each other that much…” she replied.

Donghae grabbed Hyojoo’s arms tightly, knowing what Hyojoo was about to do.

“But it doesn’t matter! Who cares if we’re too fast? It doesn’t matter, Hyojoo!”

“But I care!” she said. “How would I know that you’re not gonna do things like that again? I’m sorry, but…”

Donghae’s breathing became heavy and his heart rate rose up, knowing where this conversation was leading. “Hyojoo, don’t do this…” he said, as steadily as he could. But he was obviously shaking.

Hyojoo took a deep breath, trying her best to hold back the tears. “I think we should take some time off, Donghae.”

“Hyojoo, please-“
“I’m sorry,” she said, and pushed him back.

She walked away without looking back, though resisting the temptation to do so, when he repeatedly called after her.

…

“BWOH?!?!?! YOU’RE LEAVING?!?!?!” Boa exclaimed, after hearing what Seulgi had to say.

Seulgi solemnly nodded and told her about the bet. Boa couldn’t believe her ears.

Hyojoo then burst into the room in tears.

“What happened?” Boa asked.
“I broke up with Donghae…” Hyojoo answered in between sniffs.
Boa flew to her side and put an arm around her shoulders.

“You didn’t have to do that you know…” Seulgi said.
Hyojoo managed a teary smile. “I know…I did it for me… I had a feeling that things were going too fast…” . She turned to Boa. “What’re you gonna do with Jaejoong?”

“I’m not planning on breaking up with him, if that’s what you’re thinking…” she replied. “He’s already proven to me that he’s a changed man and I believe him.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Hyojoo,” Seulgi said.
Hyojoo nodded at her, and said. “I think I do… but do you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

Seulgi smiled. “Well, I know that I need some time off from all the drama anyway… and maybe being far away from Yunho will make me get over him… you know what the say…time heals all wounds.” She managed a weak smile.

Her two friends got up and gave her a big bear hug. “Well, as long as you’re happy, we are too,” they said.

And they spent the rest of the night packing up.

…

On Monday morning, Yunho sat down on his seat in homeroom and noticed Seulgi’s empty seat. He still had the bracelet in his pocket.

“Weird,” he thought. “She always comes in early.”

He waited for a long time and grew anxious when Ms. Park came in.

“Okay, class, I have an announcement to make,” she said, clapping her hands, not even bothering to greet the class like she usually did. “you may notice that your classmate, Ms. Bae Seulgi is not present today.”

The class looked at Seulgi’s seat and looked back at their teacher with curious looks on their faces, Yunho especially.

“Well, she is on the way to the States, as we speak,” she said. “She has been chosen by the school to go on a special foreign program for good students and will be studying there for the rest of the year.”

Yunho’s eyes grew wide as he heard the news. Seulgi was leaving. She was leaving to study in another country, far away from him, and he’ll not see her for the rest of the year.

Ms. Park was writing something on the blackboard when Yunho acted on impulse.

He stood up from his seat, knocking his chair down in the process, and ran out the room, ignoring the shouts of his teacher and fellow classmates.

“Way to go, Yunho,” Jaejoong whooped, amidst the commotion.

…

Seulgi stood there, on the airport terminal. It was only a few minutes before she would board the plane to different country, to leave the life she had in Seoul, far away from her family and friends. Away from Yunho.

But it was probably for the best.

Just as she was entering the gate, she heard her name being called.

“SEULGI!!!”

She turned around to see a breathless Yunho running towards her. He obviously ran all the way from school to the airport.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him, as soon as he stopped in front of her.
“Yesterday…” he said in between pants. “Someone said you were looking for me… you were going to tell me something, weren’t you?”

Seulgi just kept quiet and he talked some more.

“You were gonna answer my question, weren’t you? You were going to say yes! WEREN’T YOU?!?!” he said, his voice cracking. “You love me, don’t you?”

Seulgi swallowed. “I have to go, I have flight to catch,” she said.

“YAH, BAE SEULGI, YOU’RE AVOIDING THE QUESTION!” he said, desperately shaking her shoulders. “Do you love me or not???”

Seulgi was looking down at the floor. She didn’t know what to say. Of course, se loved him. She couldn’t lie to herself. But she couldn’t risk the chance of being hurt again.

She looked up at him and looked straight into his eyes, doing her best to keep steady.

“Aniyo… I don’t love you, and I never will.”

Her words sliced Yunho’s heart and he dropped his hands from her shoulders.

“Will the passengers of Flight 529B, from Seoul to Boston, please begin boarding in one minute,” said the airport announcer.

Seulgi took it as her cue to leave and bowed to Yunho. “Goodbye…Yunho-sshi.”

And with that, she slowly walked to the gates, leaving him standing alone.

“Don’t turn back,” she told herself, silent tears flowing down her face. “Don’t you dare turn back.”

Yunho watched her leave with a heavy heart. He turned back and walked slowly out of the airport, dragging his heavy feet.

Seulgi boarded the plane, the pain in her chest growing larger and larger by the second.

She sat on her seat and watched the plane wheel itself across the runway, and take off into the air. She clutched the jigsaw pendant she wore around her neck.

“Saranghae, Jung Yunho,” she whispered as a tear fell down her face.

Yunho was outside the fence that separated the airport from the outside world and clutched the bracelet tightly in his hand. He had an urge to throw it somewhere, where he wouldn’t see it anymore, but he just couldn’t. He reached into his shirt and took out the other half of the jigsaw pendant he gave Seulgi. He stared at it for a while.

He suddenly heard a loud noise from above him and was sure that it was Seulgi’s plane that was taking off before his very eyes.

And without warning, he just ran after it.

“SEULGI!!!” he shouted at it, not caring that she wouldn’t hear him. “Mianhae!!!”

He ran faster, as the plane rose higher and higher into the air. “SARANGHAE!!!” he yelled. “Come back! Please! Come back!!!” His voice was getting softer and softer as he ran.

The plane disappeared into the clouds and Yunho’s legs gave away. Before he knew it, he was kneeling on the ground, hopelessly shouting at the sky.

“Come back… please…come back. I love you…,” he said, his breathing getting heavy.

And for the first time, in a very, very long time… The Incredible Jung Yunho broke down and cried.

<3--------------------------------