Heeyoung didn't say anything on their way to her place. She couldn't take any single thing Minsoo told her. She was badly bummed. She didn't expect to lose Minsoo that early when she was just falling for him.

Heeyoung unlocked her front door. It was dark inside. She wondered where Niel was. They just took a few steps inside when suddenly a blinding light lighted up the place. Heeyoung squinted her eyes a bit and tried to get what's actually happening.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" Heeyoung's mom was standing in front of her, holding a cake with lots of candles on it. There were Niel, Chunji, Ricky, and L.Joe too to her surprise. She stared blankly at her mom, then started scanning her friends' faces one by one. "What the..." She totally forgot that day was her birthday. She glanced at Minsoo who was smirking at her. "Do you know about this too?" He shrugged.

"Just blow the candles!" Niel lost his patience. "Don't forget to make a wish first, Heeyoung-ah." It's L.Joe, smiling at her softly. It's clear enough that he pretended like Minsoo wasn't there. She couldn't help to smile back at her bestfriend. She closed her eyes, wishing everything would go well in the future, before blowing out the candles. She turned her body to Minsoo. "Happy birthday." He kissed her cheek.

"Thanks." She tried to reduce the intimacy between her and Minsoo in front of her friends. In front of L.Joe especially.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIDDOOO!" Niel attacked her. "How the heck you forgot your own birthday?!" She grinned at Niel and hugged him tight. L.Joe approached her when she was locked by Niel's hug. "Happy birthday." He showed his eyesmile. "I wish you all the best." She let go of Niel and moved to hug him. Chunji smiled brightly at her while Ricky seemed hesitating and kept hiding himself behind his brother. "Happy birthday my little sister." Chunji hugged her. "Thanks, Oppa."

Heeyoung turned to Ricky. She remembered the last time she met him. Her teardrops fell. "Happy birthday, Heeyoung-ah." He whispered, but she didn't answer him, still crying silently on his shoulder. "You shouldn't cry on your birthday." Ricky lifted her head up and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry, Ricky. I'm sorry for everything."

He smiled. "We shouldn't talk about it now. We all should celebrate your birthday now."

Something felt weird. Heeyoung realized that it was her first birthday without her dad. Otherwise, not all of her friends were there. Changjo wasn't there with them. She suddenly thought about the accident when she bumped to him few days before. She couldn't stop feeling guilty for him. The atmosphere was a bit awkward from her cry. Niel tried to bright up the atmosphere with the talkative Chunji. Just a few minutes later, the bell rang. "Stay here, I'll get it." Minsoo whispered. He went to the front door and got frozen right away. "Come on in." He told the guest, who was frozen at his place as well.

The living room was quieted down. Their eyes focused on the guy standing before Minsoo. "Uh..hello everyone. Sorry I'm late." It was Changjo.

Heeyoung's gaze was pinned on him. "It's okay, Changjo. I'm glad you came." Heeyoung's mom took over, killing the awkward silence.

L.Joe was staring at him too. It's his first time meeting Changjo in person. He seems.. Nice. Even Heeyoung's mom welcoming him happily. Niel warmed the atmosphere again through his cheesy jokes. People's focuses were turned to Niel for a while. Changjo took the chance to approach the birthday girl. "Happy birthday." He faked a smile. Heeyoung's feeling was mixed up. "Thanks.. Thanks for coming here too." She smiled widely. "Steamed buns."

Changjo chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "I'll let you to call me that for today. Only today."

Minsoo had been standing quite a distance from the little crowd. It's because L.Joe was there. He knew L.Joe didn't really like him. He had been eyeing her girlfriend and Changjo. Something's different between them. Their gaze on each other were...pfft. Throw away your negative thoughts, dude. "Yah!" Niel shouted in front of his face. He was startled. "What are you doing here? Come on let's eat!" Niel had already dragged him before he could even answer him.

After dinner, the small "party" kept going. They're having fun together. Minsoo who had been feeling uncomfortable since the beginning, decided to leave early. Heeyoung wanted to walk with him to the apartment's gate but he told her to stay. So, she just walked him to the front door. She couldn't stop feeling gloomy everytime she remembered about Minsoo's words that afternoon since then. "Heeyoung-ah. Don't worry about the things I told you."

"How can't I worried about that?!" Heeyoung was frustrated. Minsoo grinned and showed his cute eyesmile. "Because... It's all a joke."

Heeyoung facepalmed. She was way more too speechless. "How dare you, Bang Minsoo. My life's shortened by 10 years when you told me that!" She hit Minsoo's chest for times. He held her and kissed her lips. She couldn't help to kiss back, like she'd lose him anytime soon.

"Heeyoung-ah." L.Joe rolled his eyes as he saw the couple. Heeyoung rushingly pulled herself from Minsoo. It's awkward. "Uh.. What's up?"

"Nothing. Your mom asked where you are. Okay then." He sighed. "Go on." He went back in without even glancing at Minsoo.

"Probably I should leave now." told Minsoo. "I'm sorry to shock you before." He giggled.

Heeyoung pouted. "Screw you." He smirked teasingly. "At least I know how much you don't want to lose me."

"Go!" She shooed him. He kissed Heeyoung again. "Bye." Then he ran down the hallway.

******

"Heeyoung-ah, I'm going home now." Changjo whispered. She couldn't help to feel disappointed. "Ah.. Okay." He stood up.

"Yah! Where are you going?" asked the others seeing Changjo was about to leave.

He raised his eyebrows. "Home?"

"What are you taking?" It's L.Joe. "Subway."

"I'll go with you!" L.Joe stood up too. Changjo nodded at him. "Come on." He glanced at the others. "We're leaving now."

"Thanks everyone for the great time today!" L.Joe added. "Bye!" Chunji, Ricky, and Niel waved at the two while Heeyoung accompanied L.Joe and Changjo to the front door. "Be careful, guys. See you later." She waved.

"Don't worry about us." L.Joe patted Heeyoung's shoulder. Changjo didn't say anything. Then the two left.

******

"What's up?" Changjo started the talk in a sudden, confusing L.Joe. "Eh? What do you mean?"

"You must have a reason why you're going with me." L.Joe chuckled. "Well, you're right."

"So what is it?" He asked again. "Are you close with Heeyoung still?" L.Joe asked back.

"Not really. Why? Are you jealous if I said I was close with her?" The two talked while walking side by side.

"I'm just curious. You were so close. And yeah I used to be jealous so badly." Changjo glanced at L.Joe.

Changjo shrugged. "There's nothing to be jealoused of now."

"She loves you. I hate it when she talks about you. You have to know how it embarassed her to death when she mistook you as me and she scolded you back then." Changjo laughed at L.Joe's words. "That moment." He scoffed.

"Well, now I realized I hate it more when she talks about her uhm boyfriend whatsoever." L.Joe added.

"She talked about me back then?" Changjo 's curiosity won him over.

L.Joe nodded. "Yeah, she's really in love with you at that time. I thought you two were gonna be a couple for real. I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. Well, actually she said she loved me too when she rejected me." Changjo hissed. L.Joe was processing his words for a sec. "Wait... What? She... Rejected you? You had confessed to her before?!" His eyes widened in shock. "How come she didn't tell me?!"

"I had. She told me she loved me but she rejected me. It confused you, didn't it?" Changjo sighed.

L.Joe was getting more curious. "W-when did you confess to her?"

"Hm..last month? When she hasn't started dating Minsoo of course." God. She rejected Changjo and went for Minsoo. That guy is really something. Poor Changjo. It just made him hate Minsoo more and more. "I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't even think she would end up with him. I was shocked too."

"Really? How were they?" L.Joe sighed. "She hated him with all her might. And he looked the same. How come it didn't shock me that way?" He asked for agreement. "I had a bad feeling on him from the start. I don't talk much with him from the beginning. Heeyoung knows I don't like him."

Changjo just nodded at L.Joe's explanation. "She didn't tell me she's dating Minsoo. Ricky and I accidentally saw they're kissing in front of her place. And few days ago I met them too. It's impossible if they're not dating. She seemed completely flustered when I caught them."

L.Joe hugged him. "Maybe she didn't want to hurt you by not telling you about that."

"I've been hurted though." He sighed.

"Love hurts." L.Joe shrugged. "Deal with it."

"Okay then. See you later." L.Joe smiled at Changjo before they splitted up. "We should hang out again next time!"

******

Then it was the time for Chunji and Ricky to leave. As usual, Heeyoung accompanied them to the front door. Chunji glared at Ricky sneakily. "Heeyoung-ah, can I talk to you first?" Ricky asked her, answering his brother's glare. The girl nodded at him.

"I'll be leaving first, okay?" told Chunji, receiving a nod from Ricky. "Bye." The two waved at Chunji.

"Heeyoung-ah.. I.. I want to apologize for my words and my actions on the last time we met." Ricky carefully asked for apology.

Heeyoung smiled softly. "It's nothing, Ricky. In fact, you're right."

"N-n-no! I was rude back then. I was selfish. I didn't think if actually you might have your own reasons on it." denied Ricky.

Heeyoung held her innocent friend's hand. "It's okay, Ricky. It's okay. I never felt hurted by you. You helped me to introspect myself." She hugged him.

"Thanks a lot, Heeyoung-ah. I'm really sorry, I mean it. I promise I'll protect you more from now on."

******

"We're going out today, right?" L.Joe asked Heeyoung again for the umpteenth time. "Hm." She was tired of answering his repeated questions.

Heeyoung would go out with L.Joe after school. The excited guy couldn't stop asking her over and over again, worried if she might cancel it somehow. Heeyoung already told Minsoo that she's going out with L.Joe. Honestly, Minsoo didn't really like the idea. But he couldn't do anything else. He's the one who had to give up.

"Are you still keeping in touch with Changjo?" asked him when stirring up his drink at the coffee shop they went to. Heeyoung's frowned. "After you started dating." L.Joe made it clearer. "Not much, why?"

"You two used to be so close." commented L.Joe. She formed a bitter smile. "Yeah. I've told you it's hard to fulfill people's expectations on you. It's really hard to maintain lots of friendship."

"I talked a lot with Changjo during our walk from your house. He's cool." told L.Joe. Heeyoung raised her head. "You guys were gossiping about me, weren't you?" L.Joe was a bit flustered. "What? Of course no! We're just getting to know each other more."

She frowned. "I don't trust you." He rolled his eyes. "Yah stop it. I was just kidding." She poked her bestfriend. "You've met Niel, right?"

"Yeah. He's funny! But he looks caring on the other side. I understand why you two are unseparable."

"That stupid guy who made me even more desperate than feeling broken-hearted." She smiled.

L.Joe hissed. "Like you've experienced one."

"What?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Broken hearted. Like you've ever been through it." L.Joe said in sarcasm.

"One thing I'm sure is that losing your bestfriend or family is way worse than feeling broken-hearted." Heeyoung defended. "That's why I don't want to lose you." L.Joe showed his eyesmile. "True. Me too."

******

"Daniel?" There's no reply. He's not home.

Heeyoung changed her clothes and wanted to do the chores. But the place was all tidy. Oh, Daniel. Heeyoung wanted him to have a nice vacation at her place while actually he's too diligent to help the chores. She smiled when she thought about her bestfriend. She decided to watch TV instead. She was shuffling the programmes when she heard the front door was being unlocked. She peeked to see who's coming. "Yah Daniel, where have you been?"

"I'm bored. You went with L.Joe so I called him and went out too." Niel pointed at the guy behind him. The guy smiled. "Hello beautiful." Minsoo greeted her.

"So.. You two just got back from a date?" She pouted. "Fine." Minsoo sat beside Heeyoung and kissed her cheek. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"Where did you two go?"

"Bought snacks and wandered around." answered Niel, taking a seat beside Heeyoung too. "How about you? Where did you go with L.Joe?" Minsoo asked back. "Coffee shop as usual." told her. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"I have Niel." teased Minsoo. "Right?" He high fived Niel. "I think you're straight." She scoffed.

"If I wasn't straight I wouldn't end up with you." He kissed her cheek again. Heeyoung kissed him back. Niel poked Heeyoung and pointed at his cheek. "You want a kiss too?"

"Uh-huh." Niel nodded. Heeyoung slapped Niel's cheek. He grunted. "That's a kiss. From my palms." Minsoo laughed at the two. "No, I'm kidding." Heeyoung kissed Niel's cheek and hugged him tight, making him grunted again.