"COME HERE, Euntak-ah. I’ll dry your hair for you."

Cho Euntak blinked slowly, wondering why Baek Jeho was still there.

He sobered up after taking a shower.

So, now, he could think clearly again.

I did let Baek Jeho in because I almost tripped at the door earlier, but I clearly told him that he may leave before I went to shower.

"Why are you still here, Baek Jeho?"

"You look depressed, so I’m here to stay the night with you," Baek Jeho said casually while holding the hairdryer. "I don’t want you to go to bed sad."

"Does your girlfriend know that you’re here?"

"Hyerin doesn’t need to where I am 24/7. Plus, she knows you. And she knows that it’s normal for us to stay at each other’s place from time to time. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem."

"Baek Jeho, your girlfriend knows that I have feelings for you."

"Euntak-ah—"

"You know that, too," Cho Euntak said, cutting him off. "So, why are you doing this to me, Baek Jeho?"

"But aren’t we friends? We’re just doing what we normally do."

"Us being normal friends stopped the moment I confessed to you."

"Do I need to lose you just because we don’t feel the same kind of love for each other?" Baek Jeho asked, obviously frustrated. "I love you, Euntak-ah. You’re my best friend. I can’t lose you like this."

"How cruel."

"Euntak-ah, I still want to be your friend."

"We can still be friends," Cho Euntak said. "But we can’t be as close as we used to be. Setting my personal feelings aside, this isn’t fair to Hyerin."

"But Hyerin said it’s fine, even if we remain friends."

"Are you stupid? Of course, Hyerin wouldn’t ask you to sever your friendship with me. But that doesn’t mean that she’s okay with you spending this much time with me— me, who is in love with you."

This time, Baek Jeho couldn’t say anything.

"Please don’t be a bad boyfriend, Baek Jeho," Cho Euntak said in a tired voice. "And please don’t turn me into a homewrecker."

***

"AIGOO. Your eyes are red and puffy, Euntak-ah."

"Is it that bad, Noona?" Cho Euntak asked Hong Sera worriedly while looking at his reflection on his phone screen. "I already pressed a cold spoon against my eyes this morning..."

"Who made you cry?" Park Sohee asked, obviously upset on his behalf. "Tell me."

Cho Euntak didn’t like snitching.

But he liked Hong Sera and Park Sohee a lot.

And, so, he ended up telling the truth to his noona and hyung.

It was okay to talk about that since only the three of them were in the student lounge at the moment.

"I think Baek Jeho is being too pushy," Hong Sera said worriedly. "He knows you have feelings for him, and yet he keeps on insisting that you remain the same. Sure, you can still be friends. But is it that hard for him to understand that you can’t be as close as you used to be? Especially since he has a girlfriend now."

"I agree with Sera," Park Sohee said while nodding. "Euntak-ah, I know that it’s hard for you to break off your friendship with Baek Jeho. But you did well. You should respect yourself and his relationship with his girlfriend."

And that was the day Cho Euntak decided to avoid Baek Jeho completely.

***

MONTHS passed since Cho Euntak decided to choose himself.

And a lot of things had already happened since then.

Park Sohee got pregnant.

Kim Heedo lost his memories.

Hong Sera broke up with her boyfriend (finally).

And...

Cho Euntak was running late from his appointment with Hong Sera.

But he couldn’t leave because Jeong Hyerin, Baek Jeho’s girlfriend, kind of "caught" him at the entrance of the department store.

And now she doesn’t want to let me go.

"Can you stop dragging me in your drama?"

Cho Euntak knitted his eyebrows, confused. "I’m sorry, but I don’t understand..."

"If you and Baek Jeho have mutual feelings, why don’t you start dating each other already?" Jeong Hyerin complained. "I feel like Baek Jeho is just using me as an excuse to deny his feelings for you."

"Baek Jeho is straight."

"And pigs could fly."

Aigoo.

Cho Euntak was confused as hell.

If Baek Jeho has feelings for me, then why the hell did he keep on dating girls instead of just confessing to me?!

"You really don’t know?"

"Hyerin-ssi, it’s been months since I last talked to Baek Jeho."

They would sometimes see each other at school.

But Cho Euntak would quickly avoid Baek Jeho, and Baek Jeho never run after him.

So, he didn’t understand why Jeong Hyerin was confronting him like this.

I’m not a homewrecker...

"Baek Jeho has practically been ghosting me for months now, Cho Euntak," Jeong Hyeri said, getting emotional now. "He barely picks up my call, he almost never takes me out on dates, and even when we’re together, all he talks about is you. ’I wonder if Cho Euntak has eaten.’ ’I wonder if Cho Euntak is doing well.’ ’I wonder if Cho Euntak is having a work-life balance now that he’s working on a new comic series.’ It’s always Cho Euntak this, Cho Euntak that."

"I don’t know anything about that, Hyerin-ssi," Cho Euntak asked, confused as to why he had to hear all of that. "Even if you tell me all about that, I have no idea why Baek Jeho is acting that way."

"Can’t you just make up with him or something?"

"We’re not fighting."

"Then why—"

"Hyerin!"

Oh, it was Baek Jeho.

It had been a while since Cho Euntak last saw his ex-best friend, so he kind of yearned for the guy.

But he put his heart on a rein.

I don’t want to be a homewrecker.

Hence, Cho Euntak ignored the erratic beat of his heart and stayed clear-headed.

"Good thing you’re here," Jeong Hyerin said, suddenly pushing Baek Jeho towards Cho Euntak. "You two should talk first and fix whatever it is that needs fixing."

Cho Euntak’s eyes widened a bit, especially when Baek Jeho got dangerously close.

The sudden close proximity wasn’t the only problem.

It was how Baek Jeho stopped right in front of Cho Euntak, looking down at him with an intent look in his eyes. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Well, Cho Euntak didn’t pay much attention to that because his mind was somewhere else.

How do you fix a broken friendship caused by an unrequited love?

***

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