At age17, she cries over him for the first time.

“This book I’m reading says it’s impossible for a boy and girl to be just best friends,” Sooyoung says as they are eating lunch. 
“I agree.” Sica speaks. “You and Hyukjae are so abnormal.” 
“Really Hyoyeonah, have you never thought about Hyukjae as more than a friend?” Sooyoung looks at her curiously.
“Of course not,” she replies defensively but an image of them kissing at Donghae’s birthday sneaks into her mind. 

She’s done a good job of pretending that she out the entire night every time he tried to bring it up. Three months later, he has finally given up. 

It scares her too much to think of what any kind of change might do to them. After all, friendship lasts forever but love doesn’t always. 
Her own mother serves as a daily reminder- having lost her best friend and love in one blow.
She doesn’t know if she could survive that. 
He means as much as to her as her own life. 


  

“Hey babe,” Donghae walks up giving Sica a quick peck on the lips. She pushes him away blushing and he flashes her a sly wink.

“Like.. not even once? Ever?” Sooyoung persists.
“What are you guys talking about?” the ever curious Donghae asks.
“Hyoyeonnie and Hyukjae,” Sica tells him.

“mwe canf mwelief thaff they nwewer wewer life-lifeff weaf ofher.” Sooyoung’s talking with full as usual.
Amazingly Donghae understands her and joins in, “I know right? That beats me too! I still can’t believe I gave up my first crush for nothing.” 

“You what?” all three girls speak up at once.

Donghae’s eyes dart around the lunch table looking caught. Answer wisely, he tells himself. He decides to start with his girlfriend and turns on his puppy dog charm, “Babe you know you are my one and only true love, right?”
Sica looks at him sceptically, “Continue.”
“Well before, like way before I even talked to you, I had a little crush on Hyoyeonnie but I was sure that Hyukkie liked her so I gave her up. Really! I swear!” Donghae puts his hand on his heart and Sica kisses his cheek, “You’re too cute, Fishie. Thanks for being honest.”

Then Donghae turns towards her and pats her head, “You know I still love you but like a sister, right Hyo?” She gives him a comforting 'right back at you' smile.

*************************

A few days later, Taeyeon walks up to her, “Hey Hyoyeon, Can I talk to you, in private?”

Kim Taeyeon is one of the most popular girls in school. She’s smart, talented and friendly and everyone, everyone adores her. 

They go sit by the bleachers and Taeyeon turns to her with pleading eyes, “There’s no easy way to say this.. so, I’m just going to do it. I am in love with Hyukjae so can you please set me up with him?”

She feels her chest constrict. Of course, they would make the perfect couple and she should be happy such a great girl loves her best friend.

“Me? But how can I help?” she asks still not knowing what this had to do with her.
“He’ll listen to you!” Taeyeon implores. “I don’t want to confess until I am sure that he will accept so if you could just talk to him before hand...”
 

She lets out an awkward laugh, “I’m sure he will accept either way.” It was not entirely true. Countless girls had confessed to him ever since he got back from New York and he hadn’t accepted a single one, saying “Sorry, I’m waiting for the right girl.”

But Taeyeon was everyone’s perfect girl so she must be his too, right?
“So Hyoyeon, will you please?”
“Yea, no problem.”
---------------------------------------------



She peeks out her window and sees him going into his house. Trying to control her shaking fingers, she dials his number.

“Hey!” he answers and immediately walks over to his window so that he can see her. He waves, his grin reaching his ears. “Nice hairstyle.”
She turns to look at her reflection in the mirror and quickly takes down the Mickey Mouse ears she had constructed with a towel after her shower.

She takes a deep breath trying to make her voice sound light and airy, “So, guess who came to talk to me today.”
“Who?” he asks sitting down on the window sill.
“Taeyeon.”
“Kim Taeyeon? My lab partner? I didn’t know you were friends?”
“Yea, we went to camp together for two summers. She’s really nice and sweet.”
“Yup, she is. So..”
“What do you think about her?”
“Well, like you said, she’s nice and sweet.”
“And pretty and popular!”
“I guess.  What’s with the 20 questions, Hyo? You’re being weird or weirder than usual, should I say!” he pokes his tongue out at her cheekily.

“Well..” she fidgets with the cell phone charm he’d given her on their third anniversary, “What do you think about dating her?”
“What?” he stands up and gestures at her that she’s crazy.
“Calm down. You only have the most popular girl wanting to be your girlfriend,” she scolds him. “What’s there to be angry about?”
“You’re serious?” he asks running his hand through his hair. “ You are trying to set me up?”

“Well no,” she falters a little. “Taeyeon asked me to talk to you about it and I said I would. Honestly, she is the perfect girl for you, Hyukjae. You said yourself that you were waiting for the right one.”
“And you know what’s best for me?” he looks at her pointedly.

But she avoids his eyes, “Of course, I’m your best friend.”
“Then you should already know that...” he starts saying but then changes his mind, “And, you don’t care?”

“Of course I care... 
that I might  lose you. 
I love you.” 
The last part hits her like a ton of bricks. She had never really admitted it to herself before. Now she realizes why lately it always felt like someone was reaching into her chest and trying to rip her heart out whenever she saw him or thought about him.

But she doesn’t say that.

Instead,
“Of course I care... Taeyeon’s a really sweet girl and she seems to genuinely like you. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“TAEYEON is the one you care about? And why are you telling me this over the phone?” he sounds more than a little angry. “I’m coming over right now.”
“No! I'm going out! I have to go pick Mingu up from school,” she lies.

“I can’t believe you right now Hyo!” he holds her gaze through the window and she feels her tears threatening to spill. “Look at me and tell me again -- would it make you happy if I date Taeyeon?”


She steels herself,

“Yes.” 

“Fine. Since you seem to enjoy playing cupid, I guess you can tell her that we’ll make it official at lunch tomorrow.” He hangs up and throws the phone on his bed.

She rushes out and gets in her car –driving all the way to the lakefront where no one will hear her - and finally let’s herself cry.

==========================================================

A/N: Did you see that coming? I did tag Taeyeon as a main character *hint* .. sorry, as i said before, this is where the chapters start to get longer and ...angsty! hope you've enjoyed the fluff so far .. and that it will get you through the bumpy road ahead. that said, i assure you there will be enough heart and love so i hope you enjoy reading