Saturday morning, I felt bound to my apartment. I didn't feel right doing anything until I knew Chaerin was okay. Maybe I was overreacting; she'd just twisted her ankle. But still, what if she still couldn't walk and she needed something? I knew enough about her to know that she was an only child and her parents were unreliable. What if it had gotten worse and she needed me to take her to a doctor? To the ER? The more "what if's" that filled my head, the more sure I became that I was falling in love with Chaerin and there was no turning back. I wanted to call and check on her, but I didn't even have her number. She had mine, but she hadn't called. It crossed my mind that she was a teenager, and she was probably sleeping, but I felt restless.

 

Around 12:30, the phone rang, and I answered it without checking the caller.

 

"Hello?" I answered, expecting Chaerin or Bom , or maybe my sister or my mom.

 

"Hey," a too familiar voice replied; none of the ones I'd anticipated. "It's me."

 

"Hi, Taeyeon ," I exhaled, knowingly. "How are you?"

 

"I'm okay," she said without any specific innuendo. "What are you doing?"

 

"Nothing," I said truthfully. "Why?"

 

"I'm in your area," she said. "I thought we could talk."

 

"About?"

 

"Us, Dara ," she answered. "Where things are going."

 

"Where exactly do you think they're going?" I asked, a bit too edgy. I hated that she had to come shake things up. It seemed like she had a sixth sense for my happiness, and every time things were finally going well for me, she had to come and ruin it.

 

"I don't know," she said. "That's what I wanted to talk about."

 

I sighed. I knew her, and I knew she was relentless. If talking was one step closer to clearing up this mess, I could consent to it.

 

"Okay," I caved. "Come over."

 

"Cool," she said. "See you soon."

 

I hung up without saying goodbye. She showed up ten minutes later, in her business attire as always. As usual, she looked beautiful, but I didn't allow myself to think about it. I was onto something else. A new chapter. Something better. In minutes, the conversation she'd been looking for had taken hold.

 

"What do you see happening to us?" she was asking.

 

"Best case scenario?" I asked.

 

"Sure."

 

I looked down, then back at her. "Chingu," I said, and pain registered on her face as soon as it came out. "Good frie