She lay in her bed and just stared blankly at the ceiling for almost an hour since she got home from the music awards show. Even though she was just an invitee but somehow she felt tired.

She took a deep breath, the accidental meeting in the backstage with Yonghwa kept appearing in her mind. She tried to remember how he looked like the last time she saw him.

"So it was really you, you looked great."

“How are you, Yonghwa?”

“It has been a long time. Hmm... more than 3 years, we haven’t met each other."

“How’s life treating you nowadays? You’re doing good, right? Of course you do. That’s what people said."

That was the last thing she thought about the previous night before she knew it a knock heard on her door and she saw her mother came in.

“Shinhye-yah, It’s 10 am already. Are you not going anywhere, commitments to attend to?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mom” I said while rubbing my eyes.

“You slept with that dress, you forgot to change? You even slept with a makeup on”. she asked.

“Oh! I felt so tired last night that’s why...” I lied. “Anything that came up?” I asked, tried to distract her curiosity.

“Kim Bum just called. He asked why you didn’t pick his call then said he'll call again later." she said.

“Oh! Thanks, Mom.” I smiled at her.

“Take shower and go downstairs for breakfast.” she smiled, pinched my cheeks and walked towards the door.

“Is everything alright, Shinhye-yah?” my mother turned to my direction while her hand still holding the doorknob.

“Is there something to worry about? I asked her.

“No, it’s just... Ah, forget it. Get a move on. I'll wait for you downstairs, ok?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” I gave her a big smile

I got up and look for my phone. There were 7 missed calls from Kim Bum. I’ve been very grateful to him for the past 3 years. He was one of those people who were there for me through the entire ordeal.

Flashback

“ShinHye-yah, are you okay? You look pale. Have you eaten anything yet?” He asked me once after class ended. He might have heard about the news, I thought. Who didn’t anyway, entire South Korea knew it.

"Oh, me? Hmm, I haven't eaten yet. I was in a hurry, didn't have time for breakfast." I smiled

“Let’s eat then.” he held my wrist and dragged me along.

Kim Bum and I were friends along with Go Hara and Kim Seoun before, but after that fateful day we both became much closer. He never asked anything but I was sure he knew something was going on between me and Yonghwa. No, not probably on Yonghwa's side but I towards Yonghwa.

He was a very perceptive friend, he knows if I'm sad but just putting on a happy mood or when I'm truly happy. He had always been beside me ever since. One day, mask with a sudden serious face after dinner at Im Semi’s cafe, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

"Shinhye ..." he uttered nervously.

“Hmm...” I looked at him but something in his expression made me chuckle.

“What’s with that face?” I burst out laughing. He never was like this before. The Kim Bum that I knew was a smiling guy.

“Please, Be my girlfriend.” he asked me still with a strained face.

I loved someone but that person never loved me the way I did. Never looked at me the way I did, never felt the way I did and much worst, that person left me with not a single word said, not even a goodbye ... At that very moment I kept asking myself, making sure if I was truly ready for it, a newfound love ...

A phone ringing interrupted my thoughts and brought me back to the present ... to the reality.

Thank you so much for subscribing and reading this story. This story was inspired by JYH's Because I Miss You and was supposed to be a one-shot fiction. We hope this chapter didn't disappoint or even bore you.