I pulled up to the coffee shop and parked, ready for some time with my Sunshine Guy. It was kind of funny to me how he and I had become so close so quickly. That's what a huge fight with your best guy friend and lots of hurt will do to you I suppose. Bae had become my new Ji almost, we were the way Ji and I had been, constantly texting and talking and laughing and being stupid kids. And the good thing was there were no deeper feelings there to ruin anything. Bae was simply my friend, my brother and that's just want I needed and just how I liked it. I walked in and headed to the usual table, I was a bit early so I took a moment to reach out to Seunghyun, he was busy at the studio working on his album and was also focused on mine, that love of mine, always taking on too much. 

"Hey there sweet man! How's the studio? Missing you!" I typed on my phone to the love of my life. Our relationship was more solid than ever. The trip was so refreshing for both of us and he had completely enjoyed being a part of my world, screwed up family and all! We came back a stronger, happier, ready to marry right then couple and we had set a date, Nov 5th. It was gonna be amazing...our Korean wedding would be then, our American one after the holidays.

"Hey beautiful, its good...working hard on these songs....can't believe how fast it's coming together...still needs one more thing."

"What does it need???"

"You!" 

"Me, what do you mean sweetheart...I have my own to focus on."

"Let's do a duet...ne? Jepal babe???"

"We'll talk about it later, Bae is here to have coffee...talk to you soon. 사랑해 Forever"

Bae walked in with his usual swag, smiling with a big bouquet of flowers. 

"What are those for Sol?" I said smiling as he handed them to me with a weird mischievous look in his eye.

"I haven't seen you in months, Deni Noona, I wanted to bring you this small gift to welcome you back home and also because I know you like them." He leaned down and hugged me then headed to his seat across from me. 

"So this is your surprise?" I said as I laid the flowers down and smiled at him.

"Yah, what'd you expect?" He laughed, waving down the waiter who knew us well and had already been preparing our drinks.

"I'm not sure....but thank you so much Sol, they are beautiful. I've missed you."

"Yah! I missed you too, so how are things for you and Top Hyung? I heard you've set a date?"

I smiled, "Yes, we have. Nov. 5th, right after his birthday! There is much to do and unfortunately Karin is too busy to help me. I really had needed her, like a true girl would, ya know? I mean, how else should I pick out a dress??? She won't even break away from this new life to do anything like that. I'm lucky if she calls me or talks to me." As I said this the waiter set down our drinks and smiled walking off. 

"Aigoo, she's very wrapped up in her own life now. I am sorry, this must hurt you noona." Bae said as he sipped on his drink. 

"Bae, you really have no idea how much it bothers me. I mean, I will always love her, always, but to watch her become this new personality, RiNa, where its all about her and her alone, its hard. I want Karin back, the girl who always knew exactly what to say, who always made my world a little brighter, a little happier. It's not the same without her." Truth was, with Karin now being RiNa I was finding myself leaning on my newer friend EunMi. She was never going to replace Karin, but she had become someone to turn to. She got me too and I needed that. I had met her through Seunghyun, she was the girlfriend of his best friend JaeJoong and we had hit it off after a night out with them recently. We were growing close and I had wanted Karin to meet her too. 

"Oh Noona, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe Karin just needs this right now. I don't understand it either, nor does Jiyong. He's been extremely vocal about it around the dorms. He knows about her job and is not happy and he has his opinions. Karin walks around like she's deaf to his protesting."

"I can't imagine what he must feel. The way he is in general, opinionated and passionate - lends to, I am sure, an interesting relationship between those two." 

"You have no idea...hey, I gotta run out to my car, I just remembered something. I will be right back noona." Bae got up and ran towards the door before I could answer. As I waited for him to return my mind drifted to Karin, it hurt to see her turning into this new girl, but I knew I needed to support her the best I could. It was part of my job as her sister and friend. I made up my mind there in that moment that I was just going to love her as RiNa, as hard as it was. What I wouldn't have given to talk to Jiyong about this, he would know what to say and how to make me feel better. Part of me wanted to text him and talk to him. I wanted to hear his voice and I wanted to know how to move on now that Karin was RiNa and RiNa was too busy for me.

"Um, mind if I sit here?" The most familiar voice said. I looked up to find Jiyong standing there smiling. 

"What, what are you doing here?" I said, tears welling up, it was like fate knew I needed him or something. (Actually Bae knew I needed him and had chosen to surprise me with him.)

"I swear sweet girl, if you cry right now when I am trying to apologize I am so gonna hurt you." He said smiling widely. "Now do you mind if I sit here or should I just leave?"

"Don't you dare leave, sit sit." I said wiping tears away and smiling as he sat down across from me, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Now, are you ok, or do I need to get you a box of tissues?" He said, as I shook my head no to signify I was just fine. "Sweet girl, I have missed you so much, ya know that? I've missed your over sensitive emotions, your smile, your eyes, your, well your everything."

"I've missed you too Ji."

"Let me see your hands, jebal?" I held my hands out across the table, he smiled and unfolded his arms, sitting forward as he grabbed my hands in his. "Listen very carefully Deni, ok? I am only saying this once because I don't think I can handle it emotionally if I had to say this all over again. Deni, my sweet girl, I don't think I could be more sorry than I am right now. What happened almost two months ago, the fight, the anger - it wasn't right. I was upset because I knew I could never have you and I was taking it out on Seungri, which was wrong. What I said to him, was wrong, what I said to you, was wrong. I was wrong." He began to sniffle and tear welled up. "This has been the longest two months of my life not talking to you. I know I was wrong and I should have swallowed my pride months ago, but I am here now and I am coming to you with a broken heart that needs fixing. JEBBBAAALLLL, PLLLEEEASSSEEE can you find it in that beautiful heart of yours to forgive me? I need you back in my life."

I sat in silence a moment as I attempted to not cry, but lost the battle. "Jiyong, I forgave you along time ago, I just, I just couldn't swallow my own pride enough to tell you. And like you this has been the longest two months of my life. To not have you to talk to, it was hard. I have had so much I wanted to share with you and couldn't. I have missed you too Ji, but I have to tell you, Seunghyun isn't your biggest fan, ya know? I am not entirely sure how he will be with us talking again. When I told him about your feelings at first he thought it was funny, but as time has gone by, he reminds me daily that he isn't ok with it. He''s upset." 

"Yes, I know sweet girl. I know and he has every right to be upset with me. I'll talk to him, he needs to know that I've moved on and I simply want you as a friend."

"You know what, forget that all right now. Let's catch up, ok?" I smiled looking at my friend. My friend that I had gone over two months not really talking to, my friend who I needed in the worse way right now. After what seemed like hours we were finally caught up.

"So what do I do about Karin? How do you handle her Ji?" I said desperate for an answer to my troubles.

"You know what sweet girl, I think you just have to let her be. She seems to not see what she is doing and not really care either. She'll snap out of it one of these days. I've tried so hard to get through to her, we fight constantly about it, but she just is not listening. Give it time, ok?" 

"I'll try Ji, I promise." I sighed heavily. "I better get going, I am sure YunJi is wondering where I am and I need to go get dinner started. Wanna come over for dinner?"

"Nah, I have things to do." Ji said standing up walking over to me and pulling me up and into a hug. "Let's never not talk this long again, ok?"

I smiled hugging back. "Never ever will Ji! You're stuck with me as a friend whether you like it or not."

Ji pulled away grinning from ear to ear, "Best person to be stuck with ever."