She was his best friend. At first they were a little awkward, they had different taste in music, different friends, different personalities. She was older than him by a year, about to graduate and move on with her life, while he was going to be in school for another year. But that didn't matter, for she loved him anyways.

When she confessed, Changhyun didn't know what to say. He wasn't surprised. He knew she liked him. Sohyun was smart, she was pretty, and he liked her as well. He liked her a lot, actually. But he didn't love her, and he knew she didn't really love him either. That's why he turned her down, vowed to stay best friends forever. 

He never really understood why he didn't love her. Perhaps it was because he didn't believe she really loved him. Maybe he just needed to feel loved to love. 

They continued to hang out, to talk, pretend like nothing ever happened. Pretend like she wasn't crying on the inside, like she didn't want to be held in his arms or be kissed by him. 

But eventually she met another boy, Lee Chanhee. He was more her type, a year older than her, and a blonde. She loved blondes. Not to mention he was two years older than Changhyun, two years more mature. It wasn't awkward for her to like an older guy like it was for her to like Changhyun. 

He didn't mind. He was happy for her. That doesn't mean he didn't feel like crying, it doesn't mean he wasn't jealous. What ever happened to her liking him? Could she forget about him so easily? 

Their relationship was straining, she didn't talk to him nearly as much as she used to. Or maybe it was he who didn't talk to her. 

He started hanging out with his other friends, more specifically Choi Jonghyun. Jonghyun was bi, claimed to have fallen in love with Changhyun at first sight. But Changhyun rolled his eyes, they had barely known each other, it wasn't possible to love someone you barely know. 

They became good friends, and over time Jonghyun had many boyfriends and many girlfriends. But Changhyun felt jealous again, moreso than he had with Sohyun. He found is strange. 

One day they met a nice guy named Lee Byunghun. To say in the least, the day they met they laughed so hard that they couldn't even remember what they were laughing about. It rattled their brains, for every time they tried to remember what was so funny that day, they just couldn't remember. But it was nice. 

Byunghun made an impact on Changhyun's life more than any other person had. There was something about him, about the why he smiled, about the way he laughed. That's when he realized he liked the older male. 

Changhyun began hanging out with Sohyun more often, for things finally felt alright between them again. He knew she was completely over him, he knew she never loved him in the first place. He asked about her life, she asked about his. He told her about Byunghun, about how he had swept him off his feet, and about how he hated Byunghun's ex-girlfriend for no apparent reason. 

She knew Changhyun was serious. The way he talked about Byunghun was as if he were a perfect person. Changhyun was completely in love, and it broke her inside. 

He decided to introduce him to her, and she saw why Changhyun liked him. He was a great guy, he was even her type. 

To say Byunghun didn't like Changhyun would be a lie. In fact, he loved him. He loved him enough to tell him of his feelings. 

Changhyun had frozen. He was happy, happy beyond compare. He knew it was true, he knew Byunghun really loved him, unlike Sohyun had, and that's why he loved him as well. Because he actually felt like someone cared about him. But he was shy, far too shy to simply say "I like you, too." Byunghun took it the wrong way.

They still talked, every day, they went back to the way things used to be. Changhyun was happy, Byunghun loved him. He reminded him every day. But Changhyun was still too shy to return the confession. Besides, he was content knowing he was still number one in Byunghun's heart, considering the older male stayed single every since the confession. Content with knowing nothing would make Byunghun stop loving him, knowing no one else would ever take Byunghun's heart.

He told Sohyun about the confession, his smile never-ending. She was happy for him, and urged him to tell Byunghun how he felt. Changhyun promised her he would eventually. 

But one day, Sohyun spilt a secret. A secret that he wishes he never heard. A secret that could ruin his life. 

She came over to his house, took a seat on the couch next to him. She looked into his eyes, her heart beating faster than usual. 

"Changhyun....Do you remember when I told you I loved you?" 

He looked down and nodded slightly. "Yeah.." 

A short silence took over. 

"I wasn't lying, Changhyun. I still love you.  But I know you love Byunghun." 

He stared into her eyes, his heart dropped. It had been so long. He couldn't keep saying he rejected her because she didn't really love him. The truth was, his heart simply wasn't the same as hers. 

"I'm so sorry," he said softly. He truly was. She was such a good friend. Had he not met Byunghun, he probably would have given her a chance. But he couldn't, he couldn't be with her when she wasn't the one he loved. 

Water gathered in her eyes, but she ignored the pain in her chest. "He's all you talk about. It hurts me, when you smile when you say his name, but never smile when you say mine. It really hurts." 

The tears flowed down her cheeks, and Changhyun gave her a small, warm hug. "You're so beautiful, dear. But it pains me to see you like this. Please, don't cry. I'm sorry."

She wiped her tears away, trying to compose herself. "You're so sweet, Changhyun. That's why I have to tell you the truth. That's why I have to tell you, even if I don't want to. Because I have to." 

He raised his eyebrow, cocking his head slightly. "What do you have to tell me?"

She looked down, twirling her fingers lightly. This wasn't something she wanted to say, it was something she wanted to keep a secret, something she knew would hurt Changhyun deeeply. She had thought about it so much, told herself many times she couldn't tell him. But he had to know. 

"Byunghun...asked me out."

And at that moment, Changhyun realized what it was like to be her. What it was like to have your hopes crushed, to be struck with a pain you didn't know was possible, to feel as though you've been ignored, casted aside as if you were nothing.. And that all the love you held in your heart for that one certain person, didn't mean a thing to them.