2001

 Hye Bin woke up from sound of something hitting her window. She slowly crept near it to see what's causing it. Then she saw Jae Joong throwing small rocks at her window. She opened the window and signaled him she’s coming down.

She immediately went down stairs. When she opened the door Jae Joong was in front of it.

"Don’t you know what time is it? It’s one in the morning for Christ sake! Jae Joong what’s going on-“ Hye Bin said loudly but she was not able to finish what she’s saying because Jae Joong was pulling her towards their backyard.

“Keep your voice down or else you’ll wake Aunt Min Ah,” Jae Joong warned her.

“Then tell what’s going on?” she angrily insisted.

“Look, I should be one who should be angry here. I thought we were friends. Close friends if not bestfriends,” Jae Joong said seriously.

“What are you talking about?” she asked in lower tone.

“I didn’t believe my friends when they told me you have already a boyfriend. Because ... because you didn’t say anything so I thought it was just rumors and that they weren’t true …”

“J-Jae ..”

“But I saw you today with Kim Jae Wook sunbae holding hands at the park. It confirmed what they’re saying because you wouln’t be acting the way you did if he weren’t your boyfriend. You just know how painful it is. It hurts because I thought we were friends and we didn’t have any problem telling each others secret. It hurts because I trusted you too much. It hurts because you know I like you,” Jae Joong said tears falling down from his face.

“Jae, I know you like me but…. wasn’t it because we’re good friends? Like a noona-dongsaeng relationship,” Hye Bin said justifying Jae Joong’s confession.

“You and I both know that I like you like a guy who wants to be romantically be involve with a girl. But you keep on putting that wall and you won’t listen. Your presence in my life is more important so I didn’t insist. And please stop telling about the age difference again because it’s not gonna stop me from doing this.” Jae Joong grab Hye Bin by the waist and draw her near him and kissed her in the mouth. She struggled at first but eventually responded to the kiss.

Then she realized what she was doing so she pushed Jae Joong and slapped his face.

“How dare you!” she said angrily but still her voice was low, just enough for both of them to hear each other. She doesn’t want her aunt to find her in their backyard at one in the morning with Jae Joong.

For a moment, Jae Joong didn’t say or do, as if in shock also of what he’d done and on the slapped that Hye Bin had given him. He just stood there intently staring at her. 

“I will not apologize for kissing you because through that kiss I know how you feel about me. But you’re a coward,” Jae Joong said accusingly. “I know you like me also, but you just won’t like to admit it. Tell me, why are doing this? ” Jae Joong asked.

“What’s there to tell? That I’m in my senior year and everyone has a steady date or a boyfriend and I don’t have one. That my friends had been teasing about it. That maybe I’m in love with my fifteen year old neighbor. So I have to get a boyfriend so they could stop pestering me about it.” Hye Bin said angrily.

“Then why can’t I be that person?” Jae Joong asked pleadingly.

“You’re just fifteen and I’m eighteen. See the difference?”

“Then why can’t you wait for me? Wait for me until that time comes when that three years gap you are so conscious about is just a number. ”

“I’m afraid that when that time comes you’ll have a change of heart.” Hye Bin sai sadly.

“That’s it? Just like that, huh?” Jae Joong said trying to take it all in.

“Look, Jae Wook is a nice guy. He has been courting me since the start of our senior year. I like him and he likes me. I don’t see any problem about it.” Hye Bin sai conclusively.

"Do you really?" Jae Joong asked.
 

""Y-Yes!" she spat back.

“Right. Go convince yourself,” Jae Joong said and he left. And keep hurting both of us.

“Jae Joong, I’m sorry,” Hye Bin said to herself as she watched Jae Joong walking away in to the darkness of the night.