Dongwoo glanced at the clock. He tapped his foot in irritation. She said she’d be over at four o’clock precisely. He wasn’t about to wait on her for hours on end when he could be wasting his valuable free time elsewhere.

Yes, Dongwoo had already set his plan in motion. Everything was going to turn out perfect for his friend, as he couldn’t stand to see Hoya sulk around any longer.

Now if only she’d arrive…

The door to his room opened briskly. He snapped up in surprise, then a smirk formed on his face when he saw his visitor. “Took you long enough.”

“I just came back from an interview.” She replied with disdain in her voice. The girl peered into the hallway. “Why are you the only one in the apartment? Where’s everyone else?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I lied to my manager and told him I wasn’t feeling well, so he let me skip out on dinner with the boys.” Dongwoo kept surfing the internet on his laptop, while she stood at the entrance to the spacious room awkwardly.

“Why have you called me over here? There’s nothing to say between us anymore.” She asked him. There was a hard and spiteful edge to her voice.

“I need you to do a favor for me. This is a big task and I only know one girl who will be able to pull it off.” Dongwoo used his coaxing and soft tone that he knew she was never able to resist. Her tough facial expression faltered and she could feel her defenses lowering.

“Well say it already.” She tried not to look at him. She didn’t want to look at him. He was playing with her again.

“Eunji is an idiot.” Dongwoo chuckled instead.

“Hey! Don’t call Hyerim an idiot. What did she do this time?”

“She didn’t do anything, that’s the problem.” He sighed.

“I’m so confused.” She furrowed her brow. God, she felt so awkward around him. The tension was thick was in the room, or perhaps she was just imagining it.

“We all know she’s into Myungsoo and I’m beginning to think he might be warming up to her too. I’m a bit concerned.” Dongwoo slammed his laptop shut. He wouldn’t be able to get her agree to his plan unless he was looking at her. If he stared at her, then there was a good chance she would do it.

Knowing all her weak spots was a major advantage for Dongwoo.

“I don’t see the problem, unless you have something against both of them together.” Oh great. Now he was looking right at her. So much for trying to get over him all these months.

“That isn’t the problem. Hoya is the problem.”

“How does Hoya have anything to do with this. Is he really protective?” She focused her gaze elsewhere, in fact, anywhere in the room but his being.

“More like jealous. You see, Hoya is irrevocably in love with Eunji.”

She gasped. “You’re lying.” Her reaction seemed dramatic, but this was one of her best friends they were talking about here! Sure, Hoya and Eunji were very close, sometimes too close, but she never suspected Hoya to be harboring feelings for his lifelong friend.

He rolled his eyes. Leave it up to her to make things seem like the end of the world. “It’s kind of obvious, I’m pretty amused no one has figured it out yet. Hoya looks at Eunji not as a little sister, but as a woman.”

She thought about their relationship, taking into account Hoya’s feelings. “Yeah… I can see it now that I think about it. Wow. Wow. Wow.” Everything was apparent to her. It was so blatantly obvious that she felt stupid that she didn’t see it earlier.

“Don’t tell anyone though, this is only between us. Keep a secret, will you?” Dongwoo brought his finger up to his lips.

Those words stung a bit. All the secrets and memories they shared came flooding back to her whenever she was in his presence. This was why she stayed away from him. Otherwise, she’d still be a complete wreck without him.

“Okay, so Hoya might be friendzoned. But why are you telling me this?” She shot back at him.

“You, of all people, know I am the world’s greatest wingman ever.” Dongwoo replied smugly, taking pride in the title.

She resisted the urge to walk out on him. She wanted to stay next to him like this forever, yet she couldn’t take it anymore. He may have moved on even before he broke up with her, but she never did, no matter how hard she tried.

“You also are aware that I’m always up for a challenge, so it would make sense that I would resign myself to setting Hoya and Eunji up. I’m tired of seeing Hoya lovesick and heartbroken over Eunji’s infatuation with Myungsoo, so I want to get them together as soon as possible.” Dongwoo stood to face her. She gulped and inched back towards the hallway.

He smirked. He still had her wrapped around his little finger. It would be so easy.

“And this is where you come in. I need you to play the part of Hoya’s girlfriend.” Dongwoo continued.

Her reaction was priceless. “What?! Girlfriend?!”

“Of course, how else are we going to make Eunji jealous and realize she could lose him at any minute? Hoya is too much of a coward to tell her straight up, so I’ll convince him to give you a chance and voilà, we’ll be able to pull this off.”

“We? This isn’t going to work, Dongwoo. You’re too cocky for words.” She scoffed. At least the lame insults made her feel a little better and powerful around him.

“Oh, it will work. You’ll do this for me, right?” He took large strides towards her. She backed away even more.

“I don’t know…” She said. She mentally slapped herself. Ugh, just tell him no already!

“I’m taking that as a yes. I’ll text you tomorrow to fill you in on the first part of the plan.” He smiled at her in satisfaction. She could never refuse him—that was her tragic flaw. Besides, it was apparent that she hadn’t moved on yet; her body movements gave her away.

She had enough. “No, I can’t do this for you.”

Now, he was standing just mere inches away from her face. “Yes, you will.”

“What’s in it for me, then?” She inquired. What she secretly wanted to hear was that they’d get back together, that he wanted her back.

“Hmm, what do you want?” He placed his index finger under her chin, making her finally look into his eyes. He read her, seeing the resentment, longing, and hurt in her eyes. She was never able to hide anything from him, anyways.

“Nothing, I don’t want anything.” She lied, slapping his hand away from her face.

“So is that a yes?” He waited for her answer expectantly.

She sighed. There was no turning back now,  she had given in to him. “Fine, I’ll do it. But only because I think Hoya and Eunji should be together. I’m not doing this for you.”

He almost laughed. She was still a horrible liar. It was cute. “Oh yes, you are. You’re doing this for me.”

She wanted to scream out of frustration. She used to love it when he would tease and provoke her back when they were together, but now she felt suffocated. “What makes you think that?”

“You’re Yoon Bomi, what more is there to say?”

“Oppa!” Eunji called out to Hoya, who was already at their favorite spot ever since they moved in. The rooftop provided a great view of the Seoul skyline. Eunji loved the way she felt like she was on top of the world up on the rooftop. It was a somewhat private place where she could spend time with her beloved Howon.

She ran over to him, shivering. “It’s so freaking cold out here, I wouldn’t be surprised if it started snowing.” Hoya didn’t seem cold at all. Eunji admired his ability to withstand anything. He was still a mystery to her, even after all these years.

There were things they never talked about, like when Eunji could overhear his parents threatening to disown him after he dropped out or when Hoya’s grandmother died and he didn’t even cry. In fact, she had never seen him cry. Their friendship may be strong, but Eunji knew Hoya kept a lot of things to himself. It was better not to ask him. Even if she tried, he would frown and ignore her questions.

“How was dinner at that fancy restaurant your manager took you guys to?” She sat next to him, taking his hand in hers to warm it up a little. He smiled sweetly at her gesture.

“The food was really good, I wish I could go there every single day of my life.” He exaggerated. She leaned on his shoulder. He let her rest her head there, closing his eyes. He wanted to remember all these private moments with her for as long as he could.

“Can you take me there sometime? If you like it, then that must mean it’s the best restaurant in all of Seoul.” She giggled. Eunji only felt this comfortable and at ease with Hoya. She could never feel this way around anyone else, but she loved the feeling of not caring and having someone to just vent and share her experiences with.

“Of course, if we ever get time. We’re always so busy.” Hoya remarked.

She sighed loudly. “I never thought being an idol would be so tiring. The rewards make it all worth it, though.”

A small silence passed between them. They sat there for a few minutes, listening to the nightlife below them. Eunji took in Hoya’s warmth. It had been a while since they were this close. A random thought popped up in her mind.

“Hoya oppa?”

“Hmm?”

“How come you’re not as affectionate with me anymore?” She asked.

Hoya stiffened. “I never noticed that I was being less affectionate.”

“Ever since we became trainees, you’ve barely hugged or touched me. Am I that ugly or something? Or do I smell?” Eunji joked.

“You smell horrible, that must be why. It wouldn’t hurt to take a shower once in a while.” He joked right back.

She laughed. “But seriously, what’s the real reason? I’m just wondering.”

He didn’t know how to answer her. He couldn’t just say, I get and find it hard to resist kissing you. “I guess we’re finally growing up.”

“If that’s the reason, then I would’ve never wanted to grow up. I miss when we were kids.”

“Believe me, I do too. Everything was so innocent.”

“We’re not innocent anymore? I’m still innocent, aren’t I?”

“Well, I’m not the innocent child you knew as a kid. We’re both adults now.”

She nodded, understanding his point. “At least our relationship is still innocent!” Eunji was playful as usual.

Hoya didn’t say anything for several seconds. “Yeah…”

Eunji’s phone vibrated in her pocket. Chorong texted her. WHERE. ARE. YOU.

Eunji jumped up, replying to Chorong’s frantic text.

“It’s getting really late. We should head back, Hoya oppa. Come on.” Eunji pulled Hoya up on his feet.

“Wait.” He grabbed her, planting a firm kiss of her forehead.

“Oppa…” His lips felt hot on her forehead. It felt surprisingly nice.

“Here’s my attempt at being more affectionate. You’re welcome.”  He grinned, his face bright red. He was terrible at expressing any feelings towards her, no matter how much he wanted to.

“You’re the sweetest. Goodnight, Hoya.” Eunji skipped down the stairs, wondering what had gotten into Hoya. Whatever it was, she liked it.

“Goodnight, Eunji.”