A/N: Get ready because you're in for a long ride. This is the beginning of the end.

“Mmmmm.” I took an entire spoonful of Baskin-Robbins Jamocha Almond Fudge while sitting on the edge of my bed. Screw the fact that I just spent nearly two hours this morning breaking a sweat perfecting the sun salutation along with a bunch of other yoga poses that were awfully convoluted. Oh well, who cared when it was this good? A few extra calories wouldn’t hurt, would they?

“Oy, you might want to slow down on that,” Manhee cautioned as disapproval registered on her face.

“Too bad, I don’t,” I answered as if I didn’t have a care in the world. I held out the pint to her after taking another spoonful. “Want some?”

She shook her head vehemently as she threw herself on my bed. “I don’t need the extra calories, thank you. The last thing I want is to struggle fitting into my dress for my cousin’s wedding.”

“Suit yourself,” I told her as I continued to consume the ice cream. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

Her eyes darted from my face to the pint of ice cream. “Ugh, fine!” she exclaimed in defeat and I couldn’t contain my satisfaction. “Just one,” she muttered before putting the spoon in . “Oh God, this is sooo good. Where have you been all my life?”

“Told ya.”

It was a lazy Saturday and despite leaving earlier for a yoga session, I couldn’t stay out long because of some household duties I promised my omma I’d help her with. So when Manhee invited me to hangout, I suggested that she come here instead.

“Okay, that’s enough,” she stated with full conviction while giving the spoon back to me. “Wait a minute…” she paused, tossing me a sidelong glance with a lifted brow.

“What?” I asked in trepidation.

She ran her eyes over every inch of my face while I just stared back at her with wide, innocent eyes.

“You’re depressed, aren’t you?” Her words caused me to flinch, but rather faintly. With scrutinizing eyes, she continued, “Don’t lie to me. I can read you well. You wouldn’t be binge eating if you were on your right state of mind.”

I put the lid on the container, deciding I should take a rest first. Otherwise, I’d end up finishing the whole thing in one sitting. “Me? Depressed? Why would I be?”

“I don’t know. You tell me,” she said mockingly.

“I’m not. I’m just…PMS-ing,” I reasoned out, yet her face stayed blank. “And for your information, I wasn’t binge eating. I’m just treating myself.”

“Oh sure you are,” she answered, her tone unconvinced. Just before I could attack her with a witty retort, So Mi called out, “Unnis!”

“You may come in,” I yelled. She entered eagerly with refreshments in hand. “Here you go,” she handed us a bottle of juice each. “Manhee unni!” she squealed as she and Manhee bounced together like silly little children. “It’s great to see you!”

“Wow, our So Mi is all grown-up,” came Manhee’s praise as she took in So Mi’s appearance in fondness. “You can go date now,” she teased. I rolled my eyes before taking a drink.

So Mi couldn’t seem to hide her flattery with a satisfied smile on her face. “Oh you bet I will. Try telling that to So Eun unni,” she addressed indirectly before she and Manhee exchanged high-fives. I hated to admit that they shared more similarities and sometimes I wondered if they were sisters from another mister.

I put the drink down and gave her a black look. “Yah-“

“Before I forget, I looove the bracelet, Manhee unni! You’ve got really good taste. Where did you get it? So Eun unni here won’t let me borrow it until she has worn it, but it’s taking her long to do so. I think I’ll just get one for myself.”

Aish! So Mi and her big mouth!

With her brows knitted together after plopping down on the bed, Manhee stared at So Mi as if she had grown two heads. “What brac-“

I covered before she could reveal anything that could jeopardize me. “The one you gave me, remember?” I fixed my eyes on her forcefully, motioning her to follow my lead before removing my hand.

“What…ah…oh yeah…” she uttered feebly. All attempts at convincing So Mi seemed futile as her vision flitted skeptically between me and Manhee.

“Whatever you say,” she muttered under her breath. Phew, that was close.

She was on her way out when she turned to face me. “By the way unni, the girls and I happened to pass by Caffe Pascucci that one time when we were in Apgujeong and…”

Just when I thought couldn’t get any bigger.

“…wasn’t that Sang Hee unni you were having coffee with? It looked like you were in some serious business.”

I tensely stared back at So Mi who resembled a lost little sheep. I faced Manhee and the way her jaw hung confirmed that I wouldn’t get off the hook this time.

“S-Sang Hee? Kim Sang Hee? As in Bum’s sister?”

So Mi held on to the door with discomfort, looking as if she immediately wanted to bail from what was bound to be utter disarray. “Okay, I just remembered that I need to help omma in sorting out some old clothes,” came her excuse, her finger pointing backwards. “I think I’m gonna head out now. Nice talking with you, unnis.” It took her barely a second to bolt out.

When So Mi was gone, Manhee was instantly up on her feet as she stood fiercely in front of me with crossed arms. “You owe me a long story. I’ve got all day.”

I wasn’t in the mood to let the cat out of the bag, but keeping up with an act that everything was well would just end up in vain. God knew how much I wanted to confide in Manhee, but that would mean opening an entire can of worms. Even so, there were no secrets that time did not reveal.

I rubbed my hands together as I breathed. Having gathered the strength that the situation called for, I patted the spot next to me. “Sit.”

She did as she was told, but how she didn’t blink or take her eyes off me conveyed that she meant business and would not let me get away with it.

And so I told her everything. The bracelet. The little ‘adventure’ at Anyang Art Park. The heart-stopping kiss. Me pushing him away. The disastrous encounter with Sang Hee. And the most important of all…

“…he told me that…” I paused to catch my breath, “…he still loves me-”

“Yet you still pushed him away. Again. And again,” she finished adamantly without even batting an eyelid. “So let me get this straight. He still loves you,” she affirmed while refusing to take her gaze off me, “And you still love him.”

“Well I-“

“Shh! Hush, hush. Zip it!” she barked. “It wasn’t a question. I meant that as a fact. Tell me, until when were you planning to keep up with the charade?”

I looked ahead blankly and responded meekly, “I don’t know.”

“How are you going to deal with it then?” she asked flatly.

“I don’t know.”

She clicked her tongue reproachfully. “Yah, So Eun.” I turned my head to find her beckoning me with her forefinger. “Come here.”

I backed off a little, cowering behind a throw pillow. “W-Why? What are you going to do?”

“Stop asking too many questions. Be a good girl now and do as I say. Come here,” she demanded sweetly, but I didn’t miss the unwavering determination in her tone.

Reluctantly, I leaned in closer to her as I detected a fierce glint in her eyes. “What do you wan-“

My words were brought to a halt when a sharp, massive slap made contact with my left cheek. It stung so hard that I could feel the soreness pierce through the skin. Keeping a hand over it, I shrieked, “Yah! Did you just hit me?! It hurts! What is wrong with you?”

“Ha, you think it hurts? Then what about the emotional torture that you put yourself through these past three years? Trust me, this has got nothing on that. And I won’t think twice about giving you a round two if you don’t shape up!” she snapped, which made my jaw drop in outrage. “It seems that Sang Hee-ssi did a crappy job at knocking some sense into that hard, thick head of yours so it’s about time I took action!”

“What the hell, Manhee?!”

She gave me a hard, cold stare that could kill. “You know what? I’m through. I’ve had enough,” she stopped midway, putting an emphasis on the last syllable, “Of all your bull.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. Just when I thought that nothing could break me more than Sang Hee’s condemnation, I felt like being smashed into pieces.

“Manhee-yah,” I uttered despondently, “You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“Yes, I am your friend!” she exclaimed. “True friends won’t just sit in the corner while watching you silently kill yourself in misery.”

The way she said it robbed me off the right to speak. I kept my tired, defeated eyes on her as she spoke, “I have spent the last three years always standing by your side. I have seen you wallow in self-pity…” she raised her forefinger up when I attempted to interject, “Not a chance, you will let me finish. You told me firmly with your usual no-nonsense demeanor that you were going to move on and being the supportive friend that I am, I believed you. Oh, look at that! You had me fooled. And what happens next? Let me see…oh right, I suddenly heard from you that you asked him if you both could put the past behind you and start over as friends. Amazing! I hate to break it to you, but I already spotted those red flags even way before someone could shove them in my face.”

I thought she was giving me a leeway, but it seemed that her litany wouldn’t be drawing to a close anytime soon. “So there you were with your perfectly crafted bejeweled mask, acting very much like the ex-girlfriend who d