Laying your back on the bed, you exhaled loudly and closed your eyes tightly. The previous discussion with Chanyeol at the tteokbeokki restaurant was ended by concluding what you and Chanyeol should do. You agreed with Chanyeol’s wish even though it gave you even a bigger burden. You felt relieved of yourself because you could keep calm and not crying in front of Chanyeol after the discussion. Although you didn’t cry, you felt like something blocked your throat which you believed was a ball of disappointment. The rest of the conversation still remained in your thought clearly.

“So… what should I do next?” you asked in concern. “Clearing the misunderstanding is a must, but… do you have any idea how?”

Chanyeol pursed his lips and rested his crossed arms on the table. “Avoiding me is not an option, of course,” Chanyeol said firmly.

You gulped down in nervousness. You could see that Chanyeol didn’t like your actions toward him today, which was avoiding him. Deep inside, secretly you felt uncomfortable as well. You wanted to be with Chanyeol just like other friends without concerning Minkyung or his feelings toward her, but the situation didn’t give you chance. Sometimes you wanted to be selfish for once, but that was not your true nature at all. And because of that, you hated that side of you so much. The other side of you were tired of giving in for others and being selfless, but inside you felt uncomfortable for being selfish.

Besides, this kind of situation would hurt you from any side—if you let Chanyeol and Minkyung became close and there was no impossibility for them to date, you would be the one who was hurted. But, if you wanted to express your feelings toward Chanyeol, you knew he wouldn’t accept that well and could make him uncomfortable for being your friend. You didn’t want both of scenarios happen, yet you knew one of it would happen sooner or later.

After silencing yourself for a moment, you spoke, “Why? I’ll still help you by communicating secretly.”

Chanyeol shook his head. “I don’t like being avoided by a friend,” he refused. “Besides, it was too late since Minkyung has noticed our friendship. I think the best way is to explain to her without telling her our—my—secret.”

“But she didn’t believe my explanation,” you argued. Actually, you were tired of Minkyung’s excitement towards her expectation about you and Chanyeol as well. It excited you and gave you hope, but you knew you shouldn’t be, so you didn’t like her for being excited towards Chanyeol’s affectionate actions to you.

“Because you didn’t explain well,” he pointed out which woke you up. His words were kind of true. Every time Minkyung asked you about Chanyeol, you avoided to answer or give explanation. You had a reason—it was because you were nervous that you would be too obvious for liking him. About the secret for being leaked, you worried about that on the second place. “But I think I should explain and prove to her also.” Eyeing you, he continued.

“Should I say that being affectionate toward friend is your nature?” you asked for confirmation.

“And proving it is my job,” he completed your sentence. He smiled warmly and ruffled your hair lightly, which stunned you. “You don’t have to work alone. It’s our mission anyway,” Chanyeol added.

Staring down, you nodded. “I’ll try to explain to her better next time,” you promised. It looked like you had to practice a few lines in order to convince Minkyung without stuttering.

Chanyeol gave you an energetic high-five, made you chuckle. The serious Chanyeol was gone and he turned back into the normal Chanyeol. Suddenly, he jolted from his chair as if he was thinking of something really brilliant. What a relief that he didn’t shriek Eureka.

You couldn’t help but being stunned. “What?” you asked in surprised. There he was, the unpredictable Chanyeol.

“I think of something really cool,” he said with beaming eyes. “You said that Minkyung hobby is same as mine, which is photography. We should do it together! That’s the way for me to prove that I’m affectionate to most of people so she shouldn’t be misunderstood anymore. In addition, I could let her know about my feeling step by step,” Chanyeol said with big smile and determination. He was clearly satisfied with his idea.

Again, you gulped down but pretended to be awed by his idea. “Wow, that’s a good idea! Two of you can—”

“You’re included, silly,” Chanyeol cut your statement. Surprised with his words, you showed your blank face which made him explaining further. “You should be included! That’s the way Minkyung realized that we are nothing more than friends.”

“Oh.” That was the only response you said. Chanyeol suggestion was good—you got to admit it—but it means that you would see Chanyeol and Minkyung interacting. There was a possibility for Chanyeol to be affectionate towards Minkyung. Chanyeol didn’t interact with Minkyung that much and this event would open his chances. You wanted to be happy for him, but you couldn’t deny yourself that you disliked the idea. Except that you were a masochist, nobody liked to be hurt physically or mentally. You were wondering, could you go through that well? How much would it hurt?

“How’s your opinion?” Chanyeol asked, snapped you back from your mind. You believed that your brain looked like a tangled cassette right now.

“Umm—cool,” you commented. Seeing Chanyeol waited for you to say more, you continued, “I’ll tell her about our plan.”

Chanyeol grinned widely. “Let’s call it a plan, then.”

You got up and went straight to Minkyung’s room. Unlike you, Minkyung lik